A Question of Fate
by intrasonic
Summary: [SO3] Part 2: Because nothing says 'mutual respect' and 'profound thanks' like classifying your friends as a primitive anthropology exhibit.
1. Part 1A

It was a plain room, square in shape, with all six sides composed of simple, but neat rows of wooden planks. The walls were devoid of any decorations that would hint at the intended use of the room, and the only source of illumination was a single overhead light.

Near the centre of the room, the room's sole occupant was kneeling quietly, her feet turned inwards beneath her, her palms resting passively on her knees. She was young, perhaps twenty years old at most, and her face was set in a way that suggested concentration and contemplation.

She was quite beautiful, any observer would have agreed, although it was an ordinary and unspectacular sort. Her outer wardrobe consisted solely of a plain white gi, while her long hair was pragmatically tied back with a simple elastic. It was the sort of beauty that stemmed from an absence of flaws, rather than the addition of decorations, and the deeply ingrained calluses in her bare hands and feet hinted at someone who only occasionally bothered with the latter.

Almost imperceptibly, the young woman's features suddenly tightened, though her eyes remained closed. "Sensei."

Standing in the doorway, half a dozen paces behind her, a man smiled approvingly, crossing the remainder of the distance in a less discreet fashion, kneeling down in front of her. "You have come a long way in a short time. Three months ago, I don not believe you would have sensed me so easily. But you look troubled. What is it that you are doing?"

"I'm practicing my meditation."

"Oh? And what is it that you are meditating on today, that you would look so troubled?"

A shrug. "The same as usual, I suppose."

"Are you still dwelling on such matters? Is the old adage 'I think, therefore I am' not true? Is it not enough to simply know that you exist here and now?"

"But this existence doesn't make _sense_."

"Make sense?" The man frowned, looking thoughtful. "Think of this existence as a flower, one possessed of such beauty that to gaze upon it would be to never want for beauty again. But imagine that this flower's beauty is a fickle one, only emerging when not being gazed upon."

Only a moment of consideration was required. "If you can only look at the flower without its beauty, and if its beauty only emerges when you are not looking at it... what use is its beauty?"

"Must it have a use? Must you _see_ the beauty for yourself? Is it not enough to know that the beauty is there?"

A faint scowl. "No. It's not."

The man looked amused. "But to try to understand something as abstract as beauty? Or existence? Some would say that way lies madness."

"Or maybe..." And here, Maria Traydor finally opened her eyes. "...a few answers."

**+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+**

**A Question of Fate  
A Star Ocean: TTEOT fanfic **by** Intrasonic **

** Chapter 1-A **  
'Now that you've received your Happy Ending (tm), welcome to the rest of your life! (Note: No refunds will be issued, customer satisfaction may vary.)'

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Disclaimer: 'Star Ocean: Till the End of Time' is copyrighted by Square-Enix/Tri-Ace. This work of fanfiction  
is being written for enjoyment and in homage to the original work, and no profit is being made from it.

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"Always so practical," the man chided. "Sometimes to a fault."

Maria returned the smile. "Well, I _was_ taught by Mirage."

The man raised an eyebrow. "My daughter _is_ practical, but she knows when to let go of something. You, on the other hand..."

"I know, I know. I'm just stubborn. Sometimes to a fault."

"At times, certainly," the man agreed. "But if anyone, I think you owe that part of you to Cliff."

Maria rose gingerly, legs stiff from her prolonged meditation session. "I'm not choosy about who gets the blame. What time is it?"

"Almost time for your afternoon practice, which is why I came to check on you."

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," she assured him. "Am I learning from you today, or Mirage?"

"It is my daughter's turn. Today, I am seeing to the young ones."

During her years in Quark, Maria had occasionally heard Cliff make mention of 'The Monster', also known as Mirage's father. According to Cliff, the man was twenty feet tall, had arms like landing pylons, was bulletproof, and could bench-press a shuttlecraft. She had, however, never actually gotten the chance to meet the man. Mirage had, of course, assured her that Cliff was exaggerating.

Mirage had lied.

Because Elias Koas, grandmaster and owner of the Koas dojo, had a framed certificate of recognition for his part in saving the life of a diplomatic ambassador... and it had involved single-handedly bench-pressing a shuttlecraft. Granted, it had been on the planet Regisse V (surface gravity: 0.7 G), but still...

Elias Koas was the kind of man who looked like he had been born in a dry dock, rather than a hospital bed. He had a neck thicker than many people's waists. He could break bricks by _squeezing_ them in one hand. When he flexed, the muscles had to line up and wait their turn. He had his shoes custom-fitted.

Mirage swore she wasn't adopted.

And, because life loved irony, the giant was also one of the quietest, inoffensive, peaceable individuals Maria had ever met. He fairly radiated serenity and calmness about his person, with a generous side dish of gentle wisdom and quiet understanding. He could walk through a room full of eggshells without a sound. He ran some of the most popular and successful training classes for children on Klaus IV.

"She said that she was going to be testing your evasive skills again."

"_Joy_," Maria agreed, more than a hint of resignation in her voice.

"You agreed to the training, remember? And you can stop anytime."

The expression on her face didn't change. "I know, I know. And it's working. But I still think she's just looking for an excuse to zap her ex-boss with a stun-gun."

Elias chuckled. "Perhaps. But it is good for you to have something more concrete to focus on from time to time. I'm not discouraging you from your meditations, but if you spend all your time chasing after answers that may not exist, you risk missing the answers that _do_ exist."

It was a hard point to argue, but that had never stopped Maria before. "But Sensei, if I'm going to be thinking about the question, doesn't it make sense to at least think about it effectively?"

"Effectiveness is ultimately measured by results," he pointed out. "What results do you have to show for your efforts?"

Ouch. "I... have a better understanding of the question."

"Then your time has not been wasted," he agreed. "But in the end, what have your accomplishments to date been founded upon? Thought? Or upon action?"

Maria considered the question carefully. "On thought, followed by action."

"Then by all means, continue to think. But ensure that your focus is not turned inwards so far that you fail to realize the proper time for action."

Sometimes, Maria wondered why she bothered trying to defend her opinions against him or his daughter. Somewhere, buried deep within the Koas DNA, she was convinced there was a 'Never Be Wrong' gene. And you either accepted it and tried to make it work for you, or went insane trying to beat it. While leading Quark, Maria had wisely done the former, freely assigning Mirage to anything; be it navigation, engineering, weapons, or diplomacy; secure in the knowledge that if the task were at all possible, it would be completed. Here...

"So... how do I identify the proper time for action, Sensei?" she inquired lightly, doing a fairly successful job of keeping the exasperation out of her voice.

Not successful enough, apparently. "By taking action, of course. And finding out afterwards whether it was the right time or not."

The expression on Maria's face would have curdled milk. "That's circular logic. Sensei."

"Not at all. It is a student wanting to know how the water is, without testing it out for herself."

"It's a student seeing if anyone else has already found out for themselves."

"It is a student looking for certainties, when none exist."

"It's a student trying to increase her odds of success, except her teacher is too stingy with his wisdom."

"It is a student assuming that her teacher knows all the answers."

"It's a student making that assumption based on past experience."

"And your teacher has already given an answer to you."

Lesser mortals would have fled from Maria's expression by this point. "Well then, thank-you for sharing your wisdom. Sensei. Now please explain the wisdom."

He merely smiled and shook his head, starting towards the door. "I think not. From the sounds of things, you have been thinking far too much lately. You Earthlings are too quick to resort to abstract thinking, at the expense of learning what is right in front of you. Go learn how to dodge stun bolts with my daughter for a while. That should help focus your thoughts more productively."

Maria merely rolled her eyes. As usual, her teacher had a point. She tended to get moody when she thought for too long. Some training, Klausian-style, would hopefully improve her disposition.

**+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+**

What _was_ existence, anyway?

A giant computer program, brought into being by an alternate universe looking for some entertainment?

A collection of everyone's thoughts, feelings, and memories, that transcended the deletion of the source data?

Something else entirely?

"I think, therefore I am," Maria muttered to herself, even as she made her way down one of the dojo's hallways.

Apparently, the simple fact that she was thinking about her existence was validation in itself, since her non-existence would have made her incapable of considering it in the first place. It was the kind of logic that worked for Klausians, who were quite possibly the most grounded, pragmatic, un-mystical, straightforward race in the entire universe.

Any god who descended from the heavens to reveal his ethereal glory to the Klausian race would have to have a _really_ good sales pitch. And he'd have to produce a second, previously verified god, in order to provide a basis of comparison for his claims of divinity. And he'd definitely be job-hunting by the end of the month, if only to pay for his room and board.

It was the kind of attitude that makes an atheist feel like an amateur.

Maria had a lot of it herself. She'd spent her first twelve years being raised by a scientist and a soldier, and the next seven being largely raised by Cliff and Mirage. That sort of upbringing taught you not to worry about things you couldn't understand or control, and to focus on the things you could. And technically speaking, that was exactly what Maria had always done.

Following the 'Creator Incident', with the massive disarray that the Pangalactic Federation was in - to say nothing of the other galactic organizations - expansion-related items were put on hold in order to facilitate clean-up and rebuilding. After all, you didn't entertain new guests when your house was in danger of collapsing.

On account of that, Quark's role as a diplomatic intermediary and information broker was suddenly much less needed. After several days of debate and consideration by those concerned, the immediate future of the organization was finally decided.

Shortly thereafter, Maria had given a speech...

**+-+-+-+-+**

_(Flashback)   
(The only one, I promise) _

Maria smiled faintly as she took the podium. It, like the rest of the room, was simply a makeshift holodeck projection, providing a meeting place big enough to hold the entire crew.

Assembled before her was the entirety of Quark, from the command crew, to the computer experts, to the engineering department... it took a lot of people to run an organization like Quark, even when each member consistently gave one hundred percent. Cliff and Mirage were near the front of the group, both wearing smiles that matched the rest of the crew.

"As usual," Maria began, a hint of amusement on her face, "I'll have to ask you to forgive the informality. This certainly wasn't on the agenda a few days ago, and we've spent all our time planning, and none on how to announce the plans.

"The short story," she began, "is that Quark, as it is now, is being disbanded."

There were a few whispers and murmurs throughout the crowd, but they soon quieted down.

"Quark will be disbanded in the days to come," Maria elaborated, "for a variety of reasons. Firstly, I don't have to tell anyone about the state of our galaxy these days. The Pangalactic Federation is in a state of near-chaos, and what's left of the Aldian Empire is ten times worse. As a result, Quark's role is simply not needed at this present time. Furthermore, I know that many of you have families and friends, many who are suffering greatly at this time."

More than few, Maria knew. Standard background checks on new members had told her some, simply talking to and getting to know the crew over the years had enlightened her further. "With those two factors in mind, disbanding the organization is the most logical course of action at this time.

"We will be making our way, roundabout, to Klaus IV, at which point command of both Quark and the Diplo will be turned over to Cliff Fittir."

As one, every head in the room turned to focus on the person mentioned.

"Some more experienced members may remember him," Maria added helpfully. "We used to pretend to follow his orders."

Cliff took the ensuing laughter in stride, standing up to face the group. "You all completely fooled me," he admitted. "Like she said, once we reach Klaus IV, this ship is going to be unloaded and dry-docked for a time, and I'll get my captain's chair back. After that... we'll see.

"I'll tell you right now that there's a good chance that Quark might be back in business in the future. But it'll definitely be a smaller Quark, and the mission statement might be a little different. If anybody wants to stay on for the sequel, I won't say no, but don't go making any snap decisions just yet. There are a lot of things going on these days, after all."

Cliff abruptly coughed, gesturing towards Maria. "Anyway, back to you, boss."

Maria nodded approvingly. "Just as he said. If anybody has any questions afterwards, don't hesitate to talk with either of us, or any other senior officer, over the next few days. We've always had open-door policies, and that certainly remains in effect now.

"Each and every person here has sacrificed a tremendous amount of time and energy towards this organization, even risking your lives at times, and for that, I'm truly grateful. And if there's anything that you take away with you, I would hope that you always remember what we accomplished."

The leader of Quark took a deep breath before continuing. "_We made a difference._ Not in an abstract or figurative way, but in a very REAL way. There are dozens of worlds - nearly one hundred, in fact - out there, who are in a much different situation now than they would have been without our help. Because we were there to provide support, advice, and assistance, they each had the opportunity to actually CHOOSE their own path, rather than have it arbitrarily decided by others in some mockery of democracy.

"Some chose one way, some chose another, but underlying fact is that they were given the chance to CHOOSE for themselves. And with the present state of the Federation, many of those worlds will now be able to help in the rebuilding, rather than simply be cannibalized for what some would call the 'Greater Good'. And THAT is due entirely to OUR presence and efforts on their behalf."  
There was a chorus of cheers from the audience, but Maria waved them aside for the moment.

"And if _that_ isn't enough to take home with you, I want each and every one of you to remember what took place over the last few weeks. The Federation's left hand didn't know what its right hand was doing, even as they squared off against a suddenly rogue Vendeeni military, even as some megalomaniac called 'The Creator' wanted to wipe us all from existence..."

Maria gave them an arrogant smirk; one fit to convince almost anyone present that she was Cliff's biological daughter. "WE were there. Not as an accessory, not as back up, and not as an observer. WE obtained key information, WE rescued and protected key people, WE spearheaded the offensive, and if WE hadn't been there, nobody else would have done it. This organization may have been founded to help keep the Federation in check, but we managed to find something a hundred times worse than the Federation, and _we beat it_. And that's why this entire galaxy exists right now - because WE WERE THERE.

"The galaxy at large may never truly understand the role we played, and honestly, that might be for the best in the long run. But it's my hope that everyone here will remember it for a long time to come, and let it stand as proof that a small group of people working together CAN, no matter the opponent or odds, change things for the better."

This time, the cheers and clapping were louder, and Maria made no motion to silence them. When all was said and done, it was a high, but realistic note to end on, which was what you aimed for with a Klausian audience.

After a short period of time, the immediate celebration quieted down, enough that one of the members' question could be heard.

"So what are _your_ plans now, boss?"

Sudden silence.

The holodeck hummed quietly in the background.

The entirety of Quark waited expectantly.

Maria finally had the grace to look embarrassed. "To be honest... I hadn't really thought that far ahead yet."

_(End Flashback) _

**+-+-+-+-+**

She hadn't.

It hadn't seemed necessary before.

For years, every moment of Maria's life had been occupied with issues either related to Quark or to the Alteration symbol in her genes. And she had worked well like that - extremely well, in fact. Yet all of a sudden, Quark was gone, she'd finally found out about her own powers, the universe still existed for one reason or another, and...

...and she had nothing to do.

In the process of dismantling Quark, a _considerable_ sum of money found its way into her own personal account. When questioned, Cliff had steadfastly rebuffed her objections, saying that she'd never made a single credit during her entire time working for Quark, the organization was debt-free, and it had been his own money that had given Quark a kick-start in the first place. Besides, her talents and accomplishments were self-evident, weren't they? A moderate-sized golden handshake was perfectly logical, right?

The proper thing to do would have been to firmly, but politely, turn down the generous gift. On the other hand, Maria had never been very good at false-modesty, and Quark certainly hadn't provided any role models in that department.

So Maria had found herself moderately wealthy, and still with nothing to do. She had considered a vacation, but even the process of packing her luggage had left her bored out of her mind. Browsing the pamphlets outlining various vacation experiences had left her firmly convinced that 'Culture' was something that happened to other people. It was obvious that any vacation longer than a few hours would fail miserably.

Mirage's suggestion that she spend some time training at her family's dojo had been a timely, interesting, and feasible idea. As the woman had pointed out, there were worse places for Maria to spend some time contemplating her future. And despite some token arguments Maria put forth, it didn't take much effort to get her to agree.

A warning beep jolted Maria from her thoughts, just in time for her to avoid walking face-first into an automatic doorway. She looked puzzled for a brief instant, but her expression quickly faded into one of irritation.

_"For your safety,"_ the wall-mounted computer droned, _"you are not permitted to leave the Hospitality section of the compound."_

"For the love of-" Maria cut herself off, instead trying to reason with the machine. "Listen, this has happened plenty of times already. You _know_ I'm allowed to go where I want. Pull up the earlier access logs. There are countless examples of me walking through this door and others like it. Unobstructed."

_"Negative. Klaus IV has been terraformed to closely replicate conditions found on Klaus III. Non-native lifeforms are prone to, but not limited to, the following symptoms: Chronic restriction of movement, including damage and/or destruction of skeletal structure from excessive gravitational loads, constriction and/or implosion of internal fluid pathways due to excessive atmospheric pressure, partial or complete asphyxiation due to insufficient concentrations of oxygen-"_

"Computer, mute message," Maria interrupted, "and patch me into Security."

Several seconds later, a male face appeared on the wall-screen, blinking as he identified who had paged him. "Miss Traydor? What can I do for you?"

"Morie," she greeted. "The computer is trying to lock me into Hospitality. Again. I thought we changed my race to 'Klausian' in my file?"

The man shook his head, but grinned nonetheless. "We did. The sensors must have scanned you during a routine sweep and noticed that you weren't really Klausian, and overwrote our entry. If you just give me a minute, I'll have the entry changed back for you."

"Thanks."

The screen want blank again, leaving Maria to glare at the unit. A side effect of her skill and familiarity with computers was that she tended to get irate when they inconvenienced her for foolish reasons.

_"Repeat,"_ the computer offered helpfully, apparently trying to win an express delivery to the junkyard. _"For your own safety and well-being, you are not permitted to venture into unprotected areas of the compound. Klaus IV is terraformed to closely replicate conditions found on Klaus III, and the majority of races, including Earthlings, are not-"_

"Computer, shut up."

Ever helpful, the computer obeyed.

Faced with the aforementioned obstacles, Klaus really wasn't a system worth the trouble of visiting. If you were determined, you could resign yourself to remaining solely within the "Hospitality" sections. Or, if you were determined and rich, you could invest in a semi-bulky environmental suit which would shield you to the point where a quick morning jog was merely exhausting, rather than fatal.

With a quiet hiss, the door blocking Maria's path slid open. Without the slightest hesitation, she stepped through the doorway, venturing unprotected onto Klaus IV at large, and the Koas dojo in specific.

The third option was to have an Alteration symbol genetically imprinted upon your DNA at birth, and not bother giving the whole matter a second thought, except to wonder why the hell it was still around. Truth be told, Maria had given the matter A LOT of thought, despite frequent chidings from both Mirage and her father, but hadn't emerged any wiser for her efforts.

Shaking her head, Maria made her way into the Koas dojo. In the end, Mirage's father was probably right - there was no sense in dwelling on the issue to distraction, especially at the expense of more tangible problems.

"There you are. I was about to come looking for you."

"Sorry," Maria apologized. "I lost track of time while meditating, and then the computer changed my race back to 'Earthling' and tried to lock me in Hospitality."

Standing near the centre of the dojo, clad in a gi similar to what Maria was wearing, Mirage shrugged. It was an elegant and languid shrug; belonging to someone who had mastered what Maria hadn't - setting aside intangible problems without tangible solutions. "Well, no harm done."

Everybody has someone they admire while growing up. Someone whose footsteps they hope to follow in, whose shoes they hope to fill, whose stature they aspire to. In this aspect, Maria had been no exception.

Mirage was smart. Mirage was strong. Mirage was wise. Mirage was confident. Mirage was focussed. Mirage was brave. Mirage was calm. Mirage was capable. Mirage was beautiful. Mirage was PERFECT. And early on, after only a few months of living with Quark, Maria had vowed that she was going to be Just Like Mirage.

And she tried. She tried really hard, in fact.

Unfortunately, the universe had other plans, starting with short-changing her out of half a foot in height. Then it forced her to accept that she only had Earthling genes, not Klausian ones. Then it informed her that braided hair didn't suit her. But the finishing touch was definitely the off-the-scale Type-A personality it saddled her with.

But she'd done pretty well on the other points, Maria would have insisted. And even if she would never be Just Like Mirage, it was always good to have high goals. There was probably no helping the height, though.

"So..." Maria began slowly. "Your father said that today is stun-gun training?"

Mirage raised an eyebrow. "I wasn't aware of that. But since you're so eager..."

Insert: One peeved expression.

"We'll see," Mirage finally relented. "You're walking a little stiff. How long were you meditating?"

"An hour. Maybe two."

"And using one of those ridiculous Earthling positions?"

"They're not ridiculous. They're... time-honoured, traditional positions. They've been used by countless generations of people."

"So, countless generations of people have been trying to solve the mysteries of life while tying their limbs in knots and sitting on their toes?"

"Ye-I mean-" Maria cut herself off, before she could explain herself any deeper. "I suppose you know a better way?"

"Well..." The Klausian looked thoughtful. "If I have any serious meditation to do, I prefer the 'Armchair' position, myself. The 'Hot Ice Cream Sundae' position is effective, too. Of course, that's only if there isn't a good masseuse available."

A flat look. "You can't be serious."

"And I understand that Cliff gets good results using the 'Couch with Cold Beer' position," Mirage added helpfully.

"That's even _more_ ridiculous. And it explains a lot."

"Well, if you're going to do some heavy thinking, you might as well be comfortable doing it. _Your_ meditation sessions always leave you walking like you're wearing only one high-heel for half an hour afterwards."

The Earthling muttered something involving 'Infernal Klausian logic' under her breath.

"Maybe that's how the computer knows you're an Earthling," Mirage mused thoughtfully. "It identifies anyone trying to twist themselves into a pretzel and think at the same time. I'd want someone like that locked up too..."

"Urgh. Can we start training?" Maria pleaded. "The stun gun hurts less."

**+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+**

**ZAP **

Maria leaned sideways as the blue bolt of energy blazed past her head, with only inches to spare. Even as she felt her weight shift as a result, her next step was slightly outside her intended path, fixing her centre of gravity-**ZAP**-just in time to lean the other way, letting the next shot make her hair try to stand on end. The next shot was aimed right at her torso-**ZAP**-so she increased her lean even further, twisting her hips around the path of the shot, which threw off her balance even further, necessitating-**ZAP**-some quick stepping to reorient herself on her target, as well as to shift herself inside the path of the next shot, which made her arm try to twitch as the charge skimmed her bicep-**ZAP**-and left her completely unable to dodge the next shot.

Throwing up her left hand, she shifted her concentration to another task, even as she lunged into the path of the shot-**PZZT**-which splashed harmlessly against an invisible wall in the air, even as Maria pushed the weapon aside with the same left hand, and directed her right fist into a collision course with the neck of the target-

**THUMP **

-only to be firmly intercepted by the target's empty hand.

"Good," Mirage announced, letting herself be moved a step backwards in the process of absorbing Maria's punch. Held loosely in her other hand was a small stun-gun, which had just been fired five times.

Maria exhaled noisily, withdrawing her fist, which had been only inches from connecting with Mirage's throat. "You-" She sucked in a breath of air. "-really cut it close, don't you?"

The Klausian smiled, not looking particularly nervous by the prospect. "I told you to use killing force that time, right? I needed to make sure you were fully committing to the action, right through to the end. And you needn't worry about connecting, because you're giving me lots of time to intercept it. You're concentrating so hard on your evasive manoeuvres, that you're telegraphing your attacks far in advance."

"Urgh."

"Don't be like that. The point of the exercise is your movement evasion. Once you master that, you can start refining your attack technique. And the majority of opponents with ranged weapons are in no position to handle a physical attack once you close the range. Which is the point, really."

"What about the minority?"

"All in good time. You're coming along nicely otherwise. You dodged the first four shots cleanly. And you were less hesitant to shield against the last one."

"I shouldn't have _had_ to," Maria pointed out.

"And as you get better, you won't have to," Mirage agreed. "But do you think you could have dodged that last shot?"

"...no."

"Then you response was the correct one, wasn't it? Had that been a real fight, you would have been the victor. What happens when you find yourself going up against an opponent who is good enough with a ranged weapon to intercept your movements?"

"I know," Maria admitted. "That's how _I've_ been trained, after all. And if my opponent is good enough, I can't count on being able to dodge everything. And I can't afford to be too stubborn to refuse to use my powers."

"Exactly. You need to use the tools you have. You don't have Klausian speed and reflexes, but you _do_ have your symbological powers. Your ultimate goal is to be able to use all your tools and resources together to maximum effect. And if you find yourself in a situation where you're outmatched, you had best be certain that any option you refuse is worth the cost of refusing. In this case, was there any incentive or reason to avoid using your powers?"

"Pride," Maria admitted, a hint of sheepishness showing.

"_That_ kind of pride and a handful of credits will get you a coffee while the stun-gun effect wears off. And with a little luck, it will only be a stun-gun shot, and not something more deadly."

"I know."

"Know it and live it," Mirage stressed, but not unkindly. "For now, you need to work on improving your movement. You're still losing momentum when you turn, and your steps could be shorter and faster."

"Right. " Maria closed her eyes for a moment, trying to process what her teacher was telling her, and compare it to her previous performance.

Three months ago, she would have laughed, had someone suggested she try to learn the famed Klausian defence against ranged weaponry - dodging the shots. She had always used the traditional defences - take cover, or shoot the person first. But at this point, the suggestion would have simply garnered an agreement from her, coupled with an insistence that it was only a matter of time before she mastered it.

The trick, she had been taught, didn't involve dodging around the shots. Rather, what you learned to do was to look at the weapon, and determine _exactly_ which direction it was pointed. And you didn't react to the projectile, you reacted to the firing motion. You ignored the actual projectile, energy or physical, since by the time you saw it, it was probably too late to do anything about it.

The other half of the technique was movement. You learned to take smaller, quicker steps, which let you react quicker. And when you changed direction, you did so smoothly, in a fashion that conserved your speed and momentum. After all, it was faster to execute a moving U-turn, than it was to move forwards, stop, and accelerate in the opposite direction.

And if she didn't have the explosive muscle power and the hyper-responsive nervous system possessed by a Klausian, she _did_ have 20/20 eyesight and extensive martial arts training. The end result was that, by a combination of vigorous training, followed by more vigorous training, coupled with a liberal dose of bloody-mindedness... she was actually beginning to see some success. Nothing close to what people like Cliff or Mirage could do, but that was to be expected. And if that failed, she could always use her 'Wild Card' - her Alteration symbol.

Maria didn't know _why_ her Alteration powers hadn't disappeared after Luther's attempt at deleting all of creation, but the power's existence wasn't up for debate. If anything, it had grown even stronger. When she had first met Fayt, the extent of her abilities was to make physical objects stronger, by using her powers to enhance the molecular bonds within them. She had even learned how to do it to her own clothing, effectively creating a makeshift emergency suit of armour. By this point, she could even harden the air itself, altering the almost nonexistent bonds between the gaseous molecules until they rivalled even the hardest metals or composites.

Maria was well versed in physics, enough to know how impossible such phenomena were. As impossible as her effortlessly walking around in 2.4 G gravity. As impossible as the entire universe being nothing more than a giant computer program. As impossible as the entire universe still existing after the deletion of the computer program.

And she didn't have any of the answers. So for now, she would take the advice she had been given, and tackle problems that _did_ have solutions.

Opening her eyes, Maria met Mirage's serene gaze. "Again."

**+-+-+-+**

**ZAP **

"URGH!!!"

THUD

Maria winced, trying to force her left leg to obey her commands, even as she squirmed to extract her face from the floor. "Ugh... dammit. Ouch."

Mirage knelt down next to her prone student. "Too slow," she offered, by way of comfort.

"I-ow-figured that out on my own."

"Your landing was a little clumsy, too."

Maria glared up at her instructor. "It would help if you didn't sound like you were enjoying yourself so much."

"Just your imagination," Mirage promised, the upturned corners of her mouth suggesting otherwise. "But you're getting tired. You simply don't have 100 available to give right now."

"I didn't the last time either."

"And I let you get away with it the last time."

"Urgh."

"So we'll try a change of pace." Putting an arm behind Maria's back, Mirage sat her student up. "We'll practice your control exercises."

Maria groaned, her leg spasming painfully again. Stun guns, even on mild settings, were still rather painful, and wrecked havoc with the body's local motor response system for a short time afterwards. Which gave a student plenty of incentive to dodge them, and took all the guesswork out of whether a hit had been scored. "You just shot me with a stun gun. And you want me to practice control exercises? Do you know what my leg feels like right now?!"

Mirage sat down next to Maria, sitting cross-legged. "I would have thought you'd be used to it by now, with your 'traditional' meditation positions. And this is the best time to practice your control."

"I know, I know."

"So let's have your wrist."

Maria obligingly held out her right hand, her left hand busy compensating for her shaky leg. "Up or down?"

Mirage placed two fingers over the base of Maria's wrist, getting a pulse reading. "I should think your heart rate is already high enough at the moment. We'll start by having you bring it down. Whenever you're ready."

Taking several steadying breaths, Maria forced herself to ignore the throbbing in her leg.

"One hundred fifty. Concentrate," Mirage encouraged, looking over at the wall clock.

Maria nodded curtly. Control was a core component of countless fighting arts, but control over the inner workings of one's body was a more rare, and much harder, goal.

"One hundred thirty-two."

At the moment, her entire body was in overdrive, flooding her body with a cocktail of adrenaline and endorphins. She could feel her heart pounding like a jackhammer, still trying to accommodate her attempts at manoeuvring around the stun bolt trajectories. Even Mirage's soft voice was like shouting to her hair-trigger hearing and her dilated pupils were making the room seem unnaturally bright. It was all the characteristics of a classic 'fight or flight' mode, and the idea of 'calming down' under such circumstances bordered on ludicrous.

"One hundred and fourteen."

Control had been a core tenet of Maria's training, ever since her Alteration powers had made their original, spectacular appearance. Despite having no idea what the powers were or what they did, Mirage had been very quick to impress upon Maria that if the power was within her, it could be controlled by her. Needless to say, Maria had been terribly sceptical at the time, but time, practice, and necessity, had eventually made a believer of her. It helped that she had already been taking lessons from Mirage, and that the woman's family style focussed a great deal on the issue of 'control'.

"One hundred and eight."

Roughly speaking, Mirage's art was classified under the Jingu School of Taijitsu, a hybrid style formed from a wide variety of older combat styles. Focussing on extremely aggressive combinations of attacks, rushes, and dodges, it harkened back to a time when Klausians were first beginning to visit other planets, which almost invariably had lower-gravity environments, adding a whole new potential to unarmed combat.

"Ninety-six."

The school had three primary focuses - Spirit, Technique, and Body. At the moment, Maria was training for the last of the three, which involved far more than just physical fitness. 'Control of Self' was the term commonly used, and it meant far more than just everyday self-control. Put simply, it stated that anything and everything that made up one's body could be controlled. The fact that most things were normally handled on an involuntary and automatic basis was irrelevant - that was just a default setting. With training, focus, and practice, a person could consciously decide otherwise.

"Ninety. Keep going."

It was extremely difficult, overriding your body's automatic responses and reflexes. Telling the brain that, despite an apparent life-or-death situation, you wanted your body to calm down and relax? Or telling it that, despite a complete absence of threats, you wanted your body running at 200 percent? Trying to convey that message to something that you can't feel or flex, using a combination of raw will power and concentration in the hopes that 'something' will hear your message and pass it along?

"Eighty-four."

It had been a mixed bag of results from the outset. Even after she had finally begun to master more deliberate use of her Alteration powers, Maria's control over her own body had lagged far behind. She had eventually regulated it to a secondary priority, in lieu of the more technical side of the art, and learning about her emerging powers. Which was why she was still so poor at it.

"Eighty-four."

Mirage could practically put herself in a state of hibernation, or wire her body almost to the point of self-combustion. She could order her body to ignore pain or discomfort, or to concentrate blood flow to where it was needed most. She could, at will, turn her body into a living embodiment of destruction, or into an epitome of calmness. A calm, calculating fighter made a dangerous opponent, as did a berserk, energized fighter. But when a fighter could put themselves into an energized state, while _remaining_ calm and calculating... It was why Mirage could beat Cliff 19 times out of 20 in combat, and why even her father was starting to loose to her now.

"Seventy-eight."

Whereas Maria was still working through lesson 1: Calming Down. Technically, affecting one's heart rate was the easiest of the options. There were six-year olds attending the Koas school who could do it. More advanced students could learn to affect blood-flow, pain reception, adrenaline production...

"Seventy-eight."

"Seventy-two."

Maria continued concentrating.

"Seventy-two."

"Seventy-two."

**+-+-+-+**

"Seventy-two."

"Seventy-two."

"Enough."

Maria exhaled, though not out of exhaustion. "Dammit," she muttered, glancing over towards the clock. Fifteen minutes had passed.

"The same as usual." Mirage released Maria's hand. "With some effort, you can return yourself to a general state of rest, but you still have difficulty going beyond that."

"I know," Maria admitted, shifting her weight slightly. At least the stun bolt's effects had worn off by this time. "But why?"

"That's hard to say. It may simply be a matter of more training."

"Do you really believe that? I've been here for three months now, but all my real progress in this was in the first few weeks. I've been making steady progress everywhere else."

"That's true."

"So..." Maria prodded, when her teacher wasn't forthcoming with further information. "What do you think might be the matter?"

A shrug. "Is it so hard to believe that perhaps you're simply not very good at this? That you simply have no aptitude for this manner of control? And that no matter how hard you try, you'll never get any better?"

Maria frowned at the suggestion. "Based on _what_?"

"Your last three months of training?"

"No."

"No?" Mirage's tone held equal parts curiosity and challenge.

"No," Maria insisted firmly. "This hasn't happened anywhere else. I'm GOOD at everything else. Every single other part of my training has shown results. Sometimes faster, sometimes slower, but I AM making progress. But this... I've been banging my head against a wall for almost three months. That means that something is wrong."

"That seems a reasonable analysis of the situation," Mirage allowed. "And it's not as though I haven't been giving the issue some consideration for a while now. Has my father told you his views on banging your head against a wall?"

"Not yet."

"It gives you a headache," Mirage informed her, matter-of-factly. "And sometimes the wall is harder than your head. And in some cases... you might not even really want what's on the other side."

"Which means...?"

"As you've already figured, you seem to be hitting a wall in this particular aspect of your training. But do you know might happen if you manage to break through it?"

"In this case, I don't even know what the wall is. So I don't know how to break through it, or what might happen if I do," Maria allowed. "But you think that you might?"

"Maybe," Mirage allowed. "This control training is more than simply telling your body what to do. Ultimately, you need to separate yourself from your environment. Whether your surroundings are hostile or friendly, that can't dictate your actions and reactions. You know this."

"I do."

"But do you really want that?"

Maria frowned, mentally trying the question on for size. "Do I want that? That's the whole point of this, isn't it? I wouldn't be spending time on this if I didn't want it."

"Oh? Why don't we consider the last time you lost your temper?"

Maria knew what Mirage was referring to. The trouble with being very good at something, was that your failures suddenly became much more prominent.

"You allowed yourself to react naturally to the situation," Mirage reminded her. "Dr. Leingod gave you a poor explanation for doing something, without your consent, which completely changed and dictated your life. And you became upset with him."

Maria nodded. Any other person in the universe would have agreed that her reaction was justified. In fact, anyone else probably would have been impressed that Maria had done nothing more than raise her voice, rather than say, pistol-whipping him into next week. Anyone except the Koas dojo, that is.

"Had I been in that position," Mirage informed her matter-of-factly, "I wouldn't have thought twice about it. I wouldn't have felt so angry, and I certainly wouldn't have _acted_ angry."

Anyone else in the universe would have earned some harsh language for making such a blatantly insensitive statement. "I know," Maria agreed quietly. "But... I haven't reached that point. Yet."

"But do you really want that?" Mirage repeated. "Do you want to be someone who can be in such a situation and _not_ react? Do you want to be someone who can detach herself from her surroundings like that?"

Maria had long ago learned to avoid knee-jerk reactions to Mirage's questions. The trick was to figure out what _else_ was being asked at the same time. "If I was... what other situation would I _not_ react to?"

"Well... what if the spaceship you were on was suddenly attacked by another ship?" Mirage suggested. "And what if you and your crewmates' destruction was imminent? And what if you _did_ have a solution, but you didn't consciously know it?"

Maria smiled wanly, not having much difficulty identifying the incident being referred to. "So if you'd been in that situation, you wouldn't have reacted at all, and you wouldn't have instinctively found an Alteration power inside yourself, and Quark would be space dust?"

"That's an extreme example, of course. Your situation is exceptionally unique in that way. But the point is, there are two sides to learning Control of Self. On one hand, you're able to directly influence your body, regardless of your actual situation. But on the other hand, sometimes you stop fully reacting to things that you _should_ react to."

"You make it sound like this training will turn me into some sort of emotionless android. And you're not like that at all."

"Taken to the extreme, it _would_ do that. But you're right, I'm not like that. But even at my level of mastery... there's a reason why I never lose my head in a crisis. And there's a reason that I wasn't the person who founded or led Quark."

"You?" Maria actually spent several seconds considering the idea. "In charge of Quark?"

"Oh? You don't think I could fill Cliff's shoes? I'm stronger than him, I'm more evenly tempered, I have a much wider range of skills than he does, I'm better-looking..."

Maria stifled a smirk. "Well, yes... but... no. It wouldn't work. It just wouldn't."

"Because I'm not Cliff," Mirage agreed. "Because Cliff is the kind of person who sees a problem and _reacts_ to it. He's the kind of person who doesn't draw a line between himself and the rest of the world, but lets himself be fully affected by the world. People didn't join Quark because they knew that it had a dependable and talented second-in-command. They joined because its leader inspired them to _believe_ in the cause, because he had a _passion_ for it."

"I suppose I would agree with that."

"And later on," the Klausian added, "we found ourselves someone else who had the same passion for the cause. And best of all, she didn't drink or chase skirts or keep having 'hunches' in the middle of a crisis."

Maria couldn't quite hide her smile. "Yes, thank goodness for other influences. But you're telling me that this control training is-"

"It's not just a matter of simple personality traits," Mirage insisted. "True, I'm a quieter, less-intrusive individual than Cliff is. And I would be even if I'd never trained a day in my life. But people like yourself and Cliff, who both radiate passion in your own fashions... you don't just decide to be that way. It comes naturally to you, as you interact and react honestly to the rest of the world. And if you spend enough time training to override your own responses to the world around you..."

"-you stop reacting to the world?"

"In a way, yes. You do it in a very levelheaded, logical fashion, but you DO react to the world. Depending on circumstances, you may repress or channel those reactions and the feelings they invoke, but they exist nonetheless. And even if you lack Cliff's theatrics and quirks, your feelings come through clearly to those around you. Or did you think it was simply chance that Quark almost tripled in size during the time you led it?"

"Well, no," Maria admitted. "But you're telling me that this training... would actually change me like that? You've never mentioned anything like this before."

"It hadn't seemed an issue," Mirage informed her. "And no, there was no danger of you suddenly turning into a completely different person. Rather, the very fact that you're having so much difficulty could well be construed as proof that who _you_ are is stronger than any attempt at training."

Maria was silent for several moments.

"This... is sudden," she finally managed. "You're telling me that I _can't_ be strong like you are? Not without changing who I am?"

"It's a possibility."

"You seem to have given a lot of thought to this 'possibility'. Without mentioning it earlier."

"Well, it's not as though you're the first individual in your position. Or did you think that Cliff avoided this particular training for another reason?"

"He was lazy?" Maria suggested.

"Believe it not, him and my father actually spent a lot of time on this particular topic. And in the end, he decided to concentrate on the other aspects of the school - Technique and Spirit. That's why, from a technical and tactical perspective, he's excellent. He's even quite proficient at harnessing his own spiritual energy."

"But..."

"_But,_" Mirage agreed, "he lacks the third element - Body. He hasn't mastered Control of Self, which is why someone half his size routinely defeats him. On the other hand, the best _I_ can manage is to inspire people to believe in myself. Whereas Cliff can inspire people to believe in something much bigger than himself."

"And you're saying that I might fall into the same category?"

"You don't think so?"

"I... I'm not sure. This wasn't on the agenda yesterday, you know."

"Look on the bright side - now you have something more relevant to meditate on in your free time."

A suspicious glare. "You and your father are both plotting against me, aren't you?"

"Just your imagination. Now, why don't you go and shower? Supper isn't far off, and that will let my father and I coordinate our plotting-I mean, our advice for you."

"Ugh." With some effort, Maria staggered to her feet, her body still feeling the residual effects of the last stun-gun shot. "You're just lucky the benefits of this training outweigh the comedy routines that come with it."

**+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+**

"Alright, I'm here," Maria announced, even as she strode purposefully into the kitchen. "So all plotters and conspirators... cease and desist."

Two innocent expressions met her accusing stare, until she gave up and took the last seat for her own. Looking at her own meal, she renewed the stare. "And _somebody_ is trying to fatten me up again, I see."

"After training all afternoon?" Elias inquired. "You still have the smallest portions, do you not? And I will not have any student of mine starving to death."

Maria rolled her eyes. It was an old argument.

Along with all the earlier-mentioned Klausian physiological differences came a caveat - the entire set-up burned energy like a runaway impulse engine. On the list of common Earthling terms that were completely foreign to Klausians, the idea of 'leftovers' and 'dieting' were quite high up. To put it another way, there were sumo wrestlers that ate less than Mirage did. And there were sumo wrestling TEAMS that ate less than people like Cliff or Elias. To a Klausian, the expression 'I could eat a horse' was a declaration of intent. Maria wouldn't have been surprised to learn that high-class Klausian restaurants offered in-house financing.

"But I'm barely moving fifty kilograms," she pointed out, not for the first time. "I'm not actually working against this planet's gravity like you two are."

"How do you know that?" Mirage inquired, from behind her own personal Field of Nourishment. "Perhaps your powers are simply allowing you to work hard enough to match the environment, rather than actually negating its effects on you. In which case you _do_ need to eat more."

"And you could stand to get a little more muscle on you," Elias agreed sagely. His own meal could be mistaken for an aerial view of a plantation beside a sprawling cattle ranch. Nearby, the Three Gorges Dam waited, ready to provide liquid sustenance on demand.

"And I was taller than you are when I was only nine," Mirage added.

"And I'm telling you both," Maria insisted, "there are _lots_ of Earthlings who are my size. And Klausians hit their growth spurt earlier, and you know it. I also notice nobody bothered to get me extra coffee to go with the extra food."

"_That_ is what stunts your growth," Mirage insisted. "And that blend of yours... it's no wonder you're never sick. It probably kills any germs on contact."

"I didn't start drinking coffee until after I stopped growing," Maria countered haughtily. "And I won't hear any slander towards my special 'Captain's Blend'. And for the two people with the biggest helpings, you don't seem to be any hurry to start eating."

**+-+-+-+**

Supper was finished in due course, leaving behind a field of spotless plates and dry glasses. Once they got down to business, Klausians rarely wasted time eating. They ate politely and neatly, but they did it continuously, until there was nothing left within reach.

"An excellent meal," Elias pronounced, stacking his collection of plates atop one another. "And I notice you seemed to find room for it all, Maria."

Maria raised an eyebrow. "I'll blame you if I become too fat to dodge stun-bolts."

"I doubt that will become a problem. My daughter says your performance has been quite satisfactory to date."

"Well, someone my size fits between the stun-bolts easier," she countered. "And I don't think this food is going to be any help with my control lessons."

"She mentioned that also," he agreed, but didn't comment further.

"Sensei?" Maria inquired. "Mirage _did_ mention what we talked about, right? Apparently you and Cliff had a similar discussion at one point long ago?"

"Perhaps."

"Mirage, tell your father to start talking."

"Poor baby." Mirage patted Maria on the head patronizingly. "Is my father hoarding all the wisdom again?"

"YES. I learn lots of things from _you_, Mirage. Lots of useful things, which help me improve in lots of areas."

"Rest assured," Elias soothed, "I would tell you if I thought you were unable to figure them out by yourself."

"..."

"You're frustrating her, father."

"She works better under pressure."

"..."

"True, she _does_. But maybe you should consider giving her something to work with?"

"And what would that entail?"

"Perhaps..." Mirage looked thoughtful. "You could consent to answer a question with only a minimal amount of ambiguity. But only one question."

"I suppose," Elias agreed. "But she's occupied with several issues at the moment. To only be granted one question..."

"..."

"She'll definitely have to make it count, won't she?"

"Indeed. This should be interesting."

"What is this?" Maria finally muttered. "Good Sensei, Bad Sensei?"

"Will that be your question?"

Maria didn't dignify the question with a response.

"I'll get the dishes," Mirage volunteered.

"My question..." Maria took another long drink of her coffee - her third one. "My question is... in your opinion, to the best of your knowledge and experience, in _clear and concise detail_... taking my training for 'Control of Self' and my possible options at this time, parallel THAT with Cliff's training and his decision."

There was a moment of pregnant silence from the other two occupants of the room, as they exchanged long glances with each other.

"Not too bad," Mirage finally allowed.

"Unexpected," her father agreed. "But reasonable."

"And your response, Sensei?" Maria pressed.

"The situation he faced, and the situation you face... they are quite different. In both cases, they involve deciding whether or not to pursue a certain aspect of training. But you bring much different arguments to the table than Cliff did.

"In Cliff's case, the boy had no arguments to speak of. He was much as he is today, except without the benefit of his later experiences. He was having difficulty with the training, much like yourself, and was considering setting it aside in favour of other pursuits. Unfortunately, there were no other pursuits to speak of, at the time.

"He had no real justification for abandoning his training, save that he was having difficulty, and that he might emerge a considerably changed person in the process. As though his present person was accomplishing much of note at the time. In hindsight, I think it worked out for the best, but it could have just as easily resulted in nothing. And even he will admit that his 'Quark' would have failed without the help of certain other individuals. Such as my daughter, for one."

"And my situation is different?"

"Quite. The first time you were faced with this choice, was shortly after your powers emerged. I can hardly fault you for desiring to focus your training on controlling that power, especially considering what it showed itself capable of."

"That's what we thought at the time," Maria agreed. "And now I get to make the same choice again? Without that excuse?"

"Without that excuse," Elias agreed, "but with a new arguments. My daughter says that your interaction with your surroundings and situations - unrestricted by any special training - leads to a certain type of passion and ability to inspire those around you. I agree with her, but I think she may be missing a bigger point."

Ever so slightly, Maria leaned forward. "A bigger point?"

"It is a well-known fact that people operate better under pressure, when their bodies and minds undergo changes to facilitate more efficient operation, which brings better results. Unfortunately, as the pressure increases, everyone reaches a point where the pressure overwhelms them and becomes counterproductive. A breaking point, if you will. Some reach that point very quickly, while others can handle a great deal of pressure.

"You on the other hand..." And here, the man's eyes narrowed, "I have heard countless stories from both you and Mirage, covering everything from your original meeting, your training, the emergence of your powers, your taking on Quark's leadership mantle, and your fight against the so-called 'Creator'. And while you greatly taxed your mind and body at times, I am not convinced you ever truly reached a breaking point."

"I _do_ tend to handle pressure well," Maria agreed.

"You tend to _thrive_ under pressure," Elias corrected firmly. "Even my own daughter, as dependable and capable as she is, can only claim to hold steady under pressure. And whatever your true potential might be, I do not think it will be realized by seeking to separate yourself from that which would challenge and test you."

"So in your opinion," Maria interpreted, "you're saying that continuing this training might put a serious damper on my strengths? So what are the points in favour of continuing the training?"

"It would help you deal with problems without involving yourself directly," he replied. "One of your weaknesses is your inability to tackle a problem from an outside perspective."

"I can take an outside perspective on-"

"You cannot," he interrupted firmly. "You can _look_ at the problem from afar. But you have a great deal of difficulty when it comes to _solving_ it from afar. Your approach to problem solving typically involves inserting yourself in the centre of the problem."

Maria's brow furrowed.

"Remember when you first arrived on Elicoor II?" Mirage suggested. "Remember how the target was down on the surface? Remember how two extremely competent crew members were already guarding him? Remember how there was a Vendeeni battleship approaching the area? Remember what _your_ solution was?"

"Was I in charge of Quark or not?" Maria inquired. "You couldn't possibly have expected to me to try and handle things from a distance. Convincing Fayt of our authenticity, when we knew he was the type of person who would be most responsive to someone else in his position? Leaving the Diplo gave me the freedom to deal with Fayt directly, and gave the Diplo the freedom to stay clear of the Vendeeni at the same time.

"Furthermore, I had no way of knowing what your situation was on the surface, but it was a sure bet that you were in close contact with the natives. It was crucial that your situation be immediately verified. By doing it myself, I put myself in position to immediately react to whatever the situation happened to be, without having to rely on surface-to-ship communications, which could have been jammed or intercepted by the Vendeeni."

Taking a deep breath, Maria crossed her arms. "In short, it was a perfectly acceptable solution for the circumstances."

"And it proves my point," Elias concluded. "Unless you think otherwise?"

Maria gave the matter some thought, before finally giving it a wave. "I'll let the point stand. Are you implying there's something wrong with that?"

"The effectiveness of your methodology is not up for debate. Your inability to do anything else is what I am pointing out. By pursuing this training further, you would likely become more proficient at taking a 'hands off' approach to conflict."

"But... why? Why would I _want_ to do that?"

He shrugged. "Why indeed? I am simply stating my opinion, remember? Whether or not you wish to pursue that course is up to you. Perhaps that would be a good focus for your meditations?"

"You really don't like my current focus, do you?"

"Consider what I have said," he reminded her. "You have accomplished a great deal, always by involving yourself directly with the problem. Even now, you have thrown yourself whole-heartedly into training, and are rapidly progressing in many areas. Yet you expect to solve your existential dilemma by sitting by yourself in a room and thinking?"

"Well..."

"If there is an answer to found to your question, I do not think you will find it by your present methods. Rather, you will solve it as you have always done - by involving yourself in the problem."

"But Sensei, the problem is... life," Maria protested weakly. "Existence, I mean."

"And are you involving yourself with life and existence, even as you meditate upon them?"

"I... never looked it that way, I suppose."

"Then try," he suggested kindly. "It only my opinion, of course, but if you are having difficulty with your present approach..."

You could take the 'opinions' of Elias Koas to the bank, Maria had learned a long time ago. "I'll do that."

The polite knock at the door was timed perfectly, in that it cleanly interrupted the conversation, and that it happened as Mirage was returning after delivering the used dishes. Swinging the door open - Elias preferred manually-operated doors where practical - she met the new arrival. "Morie. Can I help you?"

The man - the security guard Maria had dealt with earlier - nodded his head respectfully, as befitting someone who stood to inherit the dojo and could consistently defeat anyone short of her own father.

"Miss Koas. I have a message for Miss Traydor."

Mirage moved out the way, even as Maria focussed her attention on the man. "I'm here."

"We have just received a communications request for you. I thought I'd inform you in person, just to delay any possible rumours. The request seems to be from the Pangalactic Federation High Council, you see. Through unofficial channels, but even still..."

Synchronized expressions of interest came from both Koas', but Maria only smiled. "Oh really? Any subject information provided?"

"None, I'm afraid."

In other words, the Pangalactic Federation had requested to _directly_ contact someone who had recently led an organization against them. And they hadn't seen fit to let the local governments know the details. "Well, that _is_ interesting," Maria decided, her smile growing. "I'd better see what they want, hadn't I?"

"It's scheduled for ten minutes from now," he informed her. "I can only use standard encryption on it, but I'll do that and route it to your quarters, if you like?"

"Please." Turning towards her two teachers. "Sensei, Mirage. Do you mind?"

"Not at all."

"Have fun."

**+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+**

Normally, after the galaxy is saved from complete destruction, by means of previously unheard of powers, there are any number of interested parties wanting to 'further investigate' the matter.

The aftermath of the 'Creator Incident' had been no exception.

No sooner had the group found themselves back in their own still-existing reality, then various groups had begun quietly clamouring for both information and permission to get _more_ information about the three individuals at the centre of the group of saviours. Fayt and Sophia had been a little overwhelmed, to put it mildly.

To further a fledging branch of science, they were told. To continue the legacy of Dr. Leingod's groundbreaking research, they were told. For the benefit of humanity everywhere, they were told. They'd be exceptionally well paid for their assistance, they were finally told.

It was best left alone, Maria had replied. Dr. Leingod had been involved in forbidden and illegal research, Maria had replied. The research into such powers had quite possibly sparked the 'Creator Incident' in the first place, Maria had replied. They could all go to hell, Maria had finally replied.

In the end, Maria had resorted to petitioning the Pangalactic Federation High Council for protection, taking advantage of the general public support for the people who had saved them. On behalf of Fayt, Sophia, and herself, she had made a formal presentation, outlining the numerous benefits and reasons that the entire business should be buried for good. And she had done an excellent job of explaining things, as befitting someone involved in a large diplomatic organization like Quark.

The High Council hadn't agreed.

So Maria had made another presentation, involving a large collection of incriminating documents, involving the various members of the council, or in some cases, the entire council. She had spent a long time gathering it all, even before this incident had come to light, as befitting someone involved in a large information brokering organization like Quark. They could bury it all, or broadcast it all, she informed them politely.

There had been some more 'discussion' afterwards, but in the end, cooler, conservative heads had prevailed, and an agreement had been reached. Fayt and Sophia had given free-reign to pursue their own lives, and Maria had done likewise with her own. It was a storybook-worthy conclusion to her time as leader of Quark.

**+-+-+-+**

Sitting down at her desk, Maria gave her computer screen a cursory glance. There had been no breaking news in the last few months, nothing to suggest that the treaty of "Quit screwing around with my life and I won't bust your collective asses over the illegal Symbological Genetics business that you gave approval to, which may very well have encouraged the entire Creator Incident in the first place" wasn't being upheld.

And yet, here she was, only moments away from having a conversation with the High Council, for reasons as yet unknown. Her own records were quite clean, since Quark had never actually been an illegal organization (at least, never convicted), simply a terribly inconvenient one for many people, and a favourite media scapegoat. No notable events had occurred since she had returned Quark's leadership mantle to Cliff, much less anything that she was related to.

A polite beep from her terminal informed her that another party wished to make contact with her. A light tap on the keyboard approved the request and allowed a visual of her own head to be transmitted to the requester.

The image of a man's face appeared before her, instantly recognizable to anyone who paid any attention of politics. Fifteen-sixteenths Earthling, with the remainder being a stubbornly-visible Velbaysian from several generations back, the man's dark skin contrasted sharply with his pale tan hair. He had been something of a political minor at one point, but with the annihilation of the old High Council (along with 67 percent of the Earth's surface infrastructure), his consistent and above-average service record in the military had come to light. In a time when stability was a priority, and military security a close second, he had been one of the individuals quickly promoted to fill the leadership vacuum. And thus far, he had performed as promised, providing a maximum of leadership and organization during the rebuilding efforts, with minimum of surprises and scandals.

The man was possessed of a rather blunt and unspectacular approach to public relations, which saw him focussing more on behind scenes discussions, rather than addressing the public at large. If the High Council was trying to contact her, it was hardly surprising that he would be chosen as the spokesperson.

"Admiral Uodo," Maria greeted politely. "This is certainly unexpected."

_"Miss Traydor,"_ the man returned. _"And if you don't mind, just 'Jacob' is fine at this time. I hope I'm not interrupting anything?"_

"Not in the least. I just finished supper, in fact."

_"Good, good. I must confess, I sent the communication request to your location in the hopes that you hadn't moved on since we last heard of you. Incidentally, you have my thanks for your assistance in those trade talks a month ago. There are more than a few people who don't believe they would have succeeded without your help."_

Translation: 'We weren't sure if you still lived in the Koas dojo, because we haven't been spying on you, just like we agreed. And we're also grateful to you for bailing out the resource exchange talks, which almost collapsed because of the complete ass of a representative we decided to send. I'm even asking you to refer to me on a first-name basis. So please regard us favourably, okay?'

"You're quite welcome, Jacob," Maria assured him. "And the deals struck were quite beneficial to both the Klausians and the Federation. To be honest, I hope your diplomat has since brushed up on how to work with Klausians. It's not as though both parties weren't trying to work with each other."

_"There will certainly be no repeat of that,"_ the man assured her, a small smile indicating that wasn't taking offence to her criticism. _"And yes, the deals were certainly beneficial to both sides. So you are currently uninvolved in any other projects?"_

"Hmm... no projects involving anyone else," she allowed.

_"Is that so? If you'll forgive my bluntness, you never struck me as the type of person capable of staying idle for so long."_

"Spend a week in training at a Klausian dojo and see how 'idle' you feel."

_"I think that I'll take your word for it, Miss Traydor."_ His face pulling away from the camera slightly, Maria could almost imagine the man sitting back in his chair and steepling his fingers in anticipation. _"So it seems that, on behalf of a friend of mine, I'm trying to convince you to set aside a personal project, in favour of a different one."_

Well, _that_ was a loaded statement.

Maria settled for outwardly raising an eyebrow. "That sounds like quite a challenge, if you ask me. Just how were you planning on doing that?"

He actually chuckled at her statement. _"To be honest, I was wondering the same thing. But I've got another problem to deal with first. I need to convince you to come all the way to Earth to meet face-to-face with my friend."_

"It doesn't get easier, does it?"

_"Not at all. Worst of all, I'm trying to do it without actually telling you the nature of the meeting."_

Maria finally frowned. The Admiral wasn't known for this type of word play. Neither was she, for that matter. "That's not a lot to go on," she finally pointed out. "This friend of yours seems to be putting a lot of restrictions on what you can do."

_"I suppose that I _could_ tell you,"_ he admitted. _"But I'm sure you're aware that, because of a certain agreement a few months ago, media people are prohibited from pursuing you about certain incidents. Unless, of course, there was reason to believe that you were considering getting involved with the Federation in a new capacity."_

Maria exhaled audibly, a few details starting to become clearer. "Well... that's certainly food for thought. It's a good thing that I'm not considering undertaking any projects with the Pangalactic Federation, isn't it... Jacob?"

_"I didn't think you would,"_ he agreed neutrally.

"But if you happen to have a 'friend' that wants me to... consider a different project," Maria continued blithely, "that would allow me to remain free of any inconvenient media pursuit and attention, wouldn't it? After all, what Jacob Uodo does in his own time doesn't fall under any Freedom of Information legislation. Only Federation business, along with entities in its official employ, falls under those laws."

_"You may be right,"_ he agreed, expression still unreadable.

"So that leaves you with your first problem," she concluded. "You still have to convince me to go to Earth, don't you?"

_"I do,"_ he admitted. _"I don't have much to offer, I'm afraid. I can certainly arrange for some high-quality transportation. Should you decide to... continue your personal training, I can certainly arrange for similar transportation back to the Klaus system afterwards. I suspect there may be some good financial compensation available. But beyond that, I suppose I'm gambling on you being curious, and interested in... a project of a less personal nature. One that would call upon a combination of your talents and contacts."_

"Oh really?"

_"By the way,"_ he began abruptly, _"I don't suppose you've heard anything from your friends on Elicoor II? You made some acquaintances there, according to the report you filed."_

Maria was silent for a long moment. "No... I'm afraid not. The Klaus system isn't required to follow the UP3, but the law isn't a bad one, so it's followed in spirit."

_"Of course, of course. At any rate, am I offering enough incentive for you to at least come to Earth?"_

...being curious... a project... Elicoor II...

She probably _could_ demand that he divulge all the details, Maria knew. Granted, it might just make her open season for that blight on civilization known as 'Mass Media', but she could probably deal with that in due time. On the other hand, for what reason? Because she wanted to stay clear of any potential problems? Because she wanted some peace and quiet?

Maria Traydor didn't work like that, and didn't plan on starting now.

Besides, as the ex-leader of Quark during its highest point, she still had a number of... casual contacts. And from them, there had been a considerable number of promising reports about this member of the High Council. Admiral Jacob Uodo was a politician by any definition, but with an above-average track record for honesty and integrity in most things. It wasn't as though the man was blameless - in fact, she knew full well that he'd been one of many who had approved Dr. Leingod's Symbological Genetics project twenty years ago. But he _was_ going out of his way to win her favour... and dropping some VERY interesting hints.

Mirage father was probably right - she _did_ deal with problems by putting herself in the middle of them. Why stop now?

"I suppose I'm not so busy that I can't spare the time," she finally decided. "The high-quality transport you spoke of...?"

_"It left this morning,"_ he informed her, a slightly relieved smile finally crossing his face, _"if you'll forgive the presumption. I'm sending you the boarding schedule right now."_   
Maria allowed herself to smile, if only to show that she wasn't about to take it as a slight. It was possible that Mirage's father wasn't the only person who had a handle on her operating style and character. "Then I'll see you - and your friend - soon," she decided.

_"Excellent. Until then, Miss Traydor."_

**+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+**

"So, how did it go?"

Maria shrugged in reply to Mirage's inquiry. "High Council wanted me to go talk with them in person. Wouldn't even say what the reason was over a standard-encryption channel."

Mirage nodded thoughtfully. She hadn't bothered standing when Maria entered her quarters, instead remaining seated in her armchair. "So, when are you leaving?"

"I didn't say that I was."

Mirage didn't say anything.

"I _didn't_," Maria insisted.

"So that smirk on your face, that new spring in your step... completely unrelated?"

A sigh. "Am I some kind of open book?"

"Like there was ever any doubt," Mirage informed her dryly. "Cliff may go looking for challenges, but you... My father is right - you _thrive_ on challenges. And it's a rare person who actually looks excited to hear that the High Council has contacted them."

"Admiral Uodo didn't give me much information to work with," Maria griped. "He says that it's to prevent any legitimate media attention, although I'm willing to bet that he's got his own reasons as well."

"That's quite intriguing. So you'll just have to go see for yourself?"

"That's what I decided. He's providing transportation, at any rate. Both ways, if I don't like what he has to say."

"Well, I think it sounds like a good idea. You've been here for over three months, I think the strain is starting to show. You've never been particularly good at being idle, and I don't think it would be healthy to push your training any further."

"If you're trying to get rid of me," Maria suggested teasingly, "just say so."

"Well, if you put it that way..." Mirage agreed. "I was rather hoping to have Cliff come over, you see. I'm sure that I still have my spike heels and my whip... I'll have to see if I can't find some new handcuffs, though..."

Maria ground her teeth quietly.

"Unless you've done any more research recently that you'd care to share...?"

Maria ground her teeth a little more, acutely aware that her face was started to go red, despite her best efforts. "You..."

Everybody has some embarrassing event in his or her life that never quite seems to get buried. Instead, it regularly rises from the dead to haunt them, courtesy of whoever else happens to know about it. In Maria's case, said embarrassing event occurred when was fourteen. And just like so much else in her life, it was fairly spectacular in magnitude.

To make a long story short, it had involved one puberty-ravaged mind, seeing Cliff and Mirage discreetly leaving the holodeck together after many of their private sparring matches - with Cliff heavily beaten, coupled with some badly-timed, wide-eyed perusing of a Quark member's stray fetish magazine, followed by a few long leaps of logic about the nature of their relationship, followed by extensive online research, followed by an early display of bold leadership and initiative in confronting the two Klausians on the health perils of their hobby...

...and concluded in a lifetime supply of potential blackmail against Maria.

"I _still_ can't believe you let me lecture you for fifteen minutes," Maria muttered in disbelief.

"We couldn't believe you actually had fifteen minutes of lecture material," Mirage nonchalantly countered. "I can only imagine how much time you must have spent, researching on the subject."

"..."

"And it was a very well thought-out presentation, I thought. Lots of pictures. Cliff and I learned _so much_ from it, you know."

"Someday," Maria breathed, her face so red she could _feel_ it. "I don't know how, but someday I'm going to get strong enough to beat you. Then it's going to be _payback_ time..."

"Yes, yes, I know," Mirage soothed, her face radiating the polar opposite of remorse. "It's always good to be ambitious. But in the meantime, you have a trip to pack for, don't you?"

Faced with the possibility of continuing the present line of discussion, for which she had absolutely zero ammunition, Maria allowed the subject change. "That shouldn't take long. It's not like I own very much."

"True. So what are you going to do to occupy yourself while you're on Earth?"

"I'll find something, I suppose. Check out some Federation news archives and see if events sound different there than here."

"Maybe you could try doing some research on your Alteration powers?"

"I suppose, although I can't imagine where I'd be able to find any information on that-" Maria trailed off, giving Mirage a suspicious look. "You're not seriously suggesting that I talk with _him_, are you?"

"And why not? Dr. Esteed may well have some information that you would find helpful. Especially since Dr. Leingod is no more, and to the best of our knowledge, his wife was less involved in the project."

"Mirage..." Maria exhaled noisily. "Dr. Leingod got off _easy_, compared to what _I_ would have liked to do to him. And Dr. Esteed... the first thing he did after being introduced to me was to suggest more tests!"

"I know, I was there, remember? But I think that was a spur of the moment thing. I doubt he meant any disrespect or inconsideration. You did see his face just after, didn't you?"

"Yes, I _did_. His face said 'Please stop hurting me'."

Mirage looked amused. "Well, yes, besides that. But this really would be a good chance to try and ease a few of your own concerns."

"_Him_?"

"I'm simply pointing out that that the man represents a unique opportunity. I'm not suggesting you forgive him; I'm suggesting that you move forward and possibly get some useful results. If nothing else, surely the man owes you that much, correct? And don't try to tell me that your powers don't still bother you. You've done well to keep practicing with them, rather than simply try to ignore them. But even still..."

"They... my powers don't bother me," Maria corrected her. "They used to, but I've progressed far enough that I think I can call them my own now."

"I would tend to agree. But that doesn't mean they don't bother you on some level."

"It's not quite like that," the younger girl insisted. "It's just, even back when they first appeared, before I knew what I do now... I always had a feeling that they weren't random. That they were meant for something special. And by extension, myself."

"And you were."

"And I was," Maria agreed. "And they didn't disappear. They're still here, and... I still feel like there's more to them. Like I haven't _finished_ using them."

"Like there's something else they're meant for?"

"I suppose so. It's not very logical, I know."

"Many things aren't. But don't let that stop you from handling the possibility with logic. What if there really _is_ something else?"

"I can't do anything about it," Maria admitted. "I don't know what it is, I don't know what it might involve. I can either try to pretend it's not there, or I can prepare myself as best I can beforehand."

"Exactly," Mirage approved. "And your time here has certainly not been wasted. You've learned new skills, you've refined existing ones... and you've always been good at adapting your existing skills to new tasks. So continue to do so, and if it turns out that your premonition is right... deal with it in the same way as you've handled every other problem until now."

"By putting myself right in the middle of it?"

"Go with your strengths, right? And in the meantime, continue to learn and grow stronger through whatever opportunities present themselves."

"Right." Maria's face abruptly screwed up in a grimace. "I've run out of excuses to not talk with Dr. Esteed, haven't I?"

Mirage gave an innocent look. "Well, if that's the conclusion you've come to, I suppose there's no stopping you."

"..."

**+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+**

"This is the number? Thank-you."  
_"No trouble at all, ma'am. Have a nice day."_

Absent-mindedly tapping a few keys on her keyboard, Maria leaned back in her chair. As usual, arguing with Mirage had been a futile effort, except to make her end up advocating the very thing she'd been dead set again. It was probably a good thing that Mirage was on her side, Maria finally admitted, not for the first time. The idea of having her as an enemy... some thoughts were just too terrible to contemplate.

A few quick checks had easily pulled up the number to the current Esteed residence, which was presently being dialled by the computer. If nothing else, the fact that they were presently residing on Earth was probably a good sign. The planet had taken a devastating hit during the war, with many reports suggesting that rebuilding could take decades at best...

A friendly beep alerted her that a connection had been made and accepted by the other end. Straightening slightly, Maria waited for the other person to resolve. The image that finally appeared was a welcome one, a baby face with bright blue eyes, boundless optimism, and an expression that hoped you had a nice day and meant it from the bottom of her heart.

_"MARIA!!!"_ Sophia exclaimed, her face too close to the camera, and looking positively overjoyed.

"Sophia," Maria greeted. "You're looking well."

_"You too! It's been so long! How are you?"_

"I'm doing quite well. Yourself?"

_"Just great! Lots has happened since last time! And you didn't give us any contact address, so we couldn't call you! We didn't know what you were up to!"_

Maria had the grace to look a little guilty, as befitting someone who hadn't gotten around to getting in touch earlier. "Sorry about that, but at the time, I didn't know what I was going to be doing either."

_"Aw, that's okay. But we _really_ have to get together sometime!"_

"I was just thinking the same thing myself," Maria agreed. "And since I'm heading to Earth on some business..."

_"You're coming here?"_ Sophia's expression abruptly shifted. _"Er, what kind of business?"_

"Good business, don't worry. But I thought I'd call and see if we couldn't arrange something...?"

_"That would be great! When are you going to be here?"_

"Hmm... I'm not entirely sure, to be honest. I'm travelling first-class, but it should still be a three-day trip. And I haven't confirmed how long I'm staying for."

Sophia glanced downwards, her mouth and shoulder motions suggestive of someone counting on their fingers. _"...Where are you staying?"_

"Well, I haven't made reservations yet, but I'm sure I can find a hotel nearby-"

_"I have a better idea! Why don't you stay here?"_

Maria blinked. "Here-I mean, your place?"

_"Sure, we can have a sleepover! Fayt can come over too, and we'll have LOTS of time to talk and stuff. And I've got some new dishes you can try-"_

"Sold," Maria announced, her smile beginning to match Sophia's. The girl's cooking wasn't to be denied, that was for certain. And she was right - Maria _had_ been negligent at keeping in contact, and it would take more than a casual lunch to fix that.

_"Here, I'll send you directions to the house,"_ Sophia decided. _"Whenever you arrive, just come over. Just in case I'm in classes, I'll tell the computer to let you in, okay? If I'm not there, just let yourself in and make yourself at home, okay?"_

"Sounds great, Sophia. See you then?"

_"I can't wait to tell Fayt, he's going to be _thrilled! _See you then, Maria!!!"_

Even after the monitor screen went dark, Maria still had a smile on her face. There was a probably a reason she hadn't taken the effort to get in touch with Fayt and Sophia, but... at the moment, she couldn't imagine what it was.

It would be good to catch up on events, and see how the two had been doing. There had been a few tense moments at one point, but she'd stood her ground, defending all three of them against anyone who thought they could dictate the direction their lives would go... and she'd fashioned them all clean slates to work with. And now she would get a chance to see what Fayt and Sophia had made of their opportunities in the last three months. Somehow, she suspected they'd made the most of them.

Leaning back in her chair, Maria reviewed her now-burgeoning agenda. She was heading for Earth to meet with the Pangalactic Federation High Council, for reasons completely unknown, but just possibly having something to do with Elicoor II. She was going to meet up with the two other people in the universe who shared the same powers as she did. She was going to talk with one of the men who had blatantly influenced her life's direction at her birth.

She hadn't felt this energized in months.

It had been a great three months here, at the Koas dojo, learning from both Mirage and her father. But she had spent them simply letting events happen to her, and had found herself demanding answers from life.

Maybe Mirage and her father were right, Maria decided. Maybe she _was_ meant to handle problems in a direct fashion. Maybe she _was_ at her best in the thick of the chaos and conflict. Maybe for her, confrontation and action was her best route to results. And maybe she was just tired of sitting still.

Maybe it was time to get back to meeting life head-on.

**+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+   
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+**

Author's Notes:

I suppose here is as good a place as any to insert some preliminary ass-covering literature. Nobody really wants to read this kind of thing right away, do they? But I figure that if you actually read this far, and actually care to continue reading future installments, you might appreciate a little warning about the intended direction of this piece.

Firstly, just for the record, this is not a continuation of any other SO3 material I might have put out. I may include earlier elements and ideas, but simply because I consider them to be very plausible (or implausible, but I need them anyway, dammit). For this fanfic, I'm assuming familiarity with the game and nothing else.

Secondly, this fanfic is, in a nutshell, an after-game piece. Lead roles will be Maria and Nel, with various other characters regulated to secondary spots. It will be LOOSELY structured off the game's four bonus dungeon scenarios, with various game endings, scenarios, and NPC's incorporated throughout, and with an exceedingly generous dose of Kitchen Sink to round things off. Pretty standard fare, in other words. To my chagrin, I will also have to resort to introducing an original character, so allow me to offer my apologies in advance. Above all, I intend to have some fun writing this, and have every intention of trying out a few new directions in the process, for better or much, much worse (trust me on this).

I should probably apologize for the general verbosity, but this is going to be a fairly sizable story, and I needed to lay down a fair bit of groundwork right away. Unfortunately, the next chapter will be similar. To be honest, I like trying to tweak and stilt my writing style with each new piece I write. This time around, I'm going to be trying my hand at supplying more detail and small talk throughout. For what it's worth, there are very few points in this chapter that won't be revisited at a later point.

On a final note, I should probably post a content warning for this story. Firstly, expect lots of violence, once this story finally gets underway. I've got four bonus dungeons to cover in this story, which means LOTS of fighting. Secondly, swear words will show up from time to time. Not often, since it's been several years since I typed a swear word aside from 'damn', but they'll be there. Lastly, at least one or two chapters WILL contain 'adult situations' (a.k.a. various sexual matters and situations), which some people prefer not to read. I'll be doing my best to keep it all to the point that a PG rating still applies, but... we'll see.

Beyond that, readers beware. Cheers.

**+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+**   
End Chapter 1-A

_Last Revision: 09/17/07_


	2. Part 1B

"Here you are, miss."  
"Thank-you. Have a nice day."

Paying the fare for the local taxi, plus a reasonable gratuity, Maria watch the craft speed off to other parts of the city and to other customers. Slung across her back was a medium-sized pack, containing the vast majority of her limited selection of clothing and possessions. It wasn't that she was particularly un-materialistic; she just tended to be very loyal to the materials she really liked, and not bother with the rest. Spending her teenage years with Quark had put a damper on any possibility of accumulating a significant wardrobe like many other girls her age, and left her with a definite preference towards practical uniforms.

Before her, the Esteed residence stood, in all its clean-cut, pristine, upscale, suburban glory. It was a cookie-cutter residence, in that it had the same dimensions and openings that every other house in the area did. Different colour schemes, ornamentation, and other variations were relied upon for personality and individuality. A bare minimum of space separated it from the nearby houses, in the fashion of people who wanted their own residence, but didn't want to pay for any more dividing property than absolutely necessary. Still, it was definitely one of the better sides of the planet Earth.

The trip to Earth had been a good one. Any doubts as to whether someone was trying to curry favour with her had been dispelled upon seeing the transportation provided. It seemed that there had 'just happened' to be an Envoy-class high speed luxury transport nearby, and it had 'just happened' to have no stops between Klaus IV and Earth... it suggested that somebody either wanted her to feel very friendly, or they wanted her to lower her guard. Time would tell for certain, she supposed.

Regardless, the end result was that the journey had only taken a little over a day and a half, instead of almost three, and it was only mid-afternoon, instead of tomorrow evening. Hopefully, her unexpected and early arrival wouldn't prove too troublesome to her hostess. It wasn't unthinkable that she could spend the night at a hotel and show up tomorrow, but Sophia would pitch a fit if she found out. And besides... it had been three whole months since they'd last met face-to-face, and Maria didn't feel like waiting another day.

Tapping the doorbell, she faced the computer. "Maria Traydor," she informed the unit.

_"Welcome, Maria Traydor,"_ the computer intoned, even as the door slid aside. _"You have already been granted access in advance. Please enter."_

Well, that was potential issue number one averted, Maria decided, stepping through the open doorway. "Thank-you. Am I permitted to inquire as to the present occupants of the house?"

_"This house is presently also occupied by resident Sophia Esteed and visitor Fayt Leingod."_

"Two for the price of one," Maria approved. And no Dr. Esteed, which meant she could cross _that_ particular bridge at a later point.

The inside of the Esteed residence had a fairly stereotypical look to it, reminiscent of a family holding jobs with non-standard hours, or who went to school, and didn't actually spend enough time at home to give it a more complex and varied personality. The furniture had an upscale, rarely touched look to it, suggesting that it didn't actually get much use. There were some framed pictures to be seen on the walls, most serving to form a time-scale of Sophia from an infant to present day. To see how the transition had progressed so far, Maria estimated that Sophia would have to carry around proof of her age until she was at least forty.

The kitchen/dining room held slightly more personality, suggesting that at least one of the residents knew their way around a real kitchen. The majority of people preferred the convenience of food replicators, even though it was more expensive and considerably less energy efficient, but the old art of manual preparation was a long way from gone. Maria had caught hints that with the system-wide rebuilding efforts, energy prices had skyrocketed, making traditional preparation much more attractive. Which probably made an expert chef like Sophia a godsend, even if her cooking wasn't already better than what most replicators could ever manage.

Muffled voices provided something more interesting to focus on, since Maria's total culinary knowledge amounted to knowing how to brew coffee and the replicator codes for some of her favourite dishes. The house was a single-rise unit, but the voices seemed to be coming from near the back of the house. Knowing who the only occupants were, Maria had no trouble identifying a male and a female voice, although nothing distinct could be made out yet.

Leading from the living room and kitchen, there was a single hallway, which Maria promptly followed. Three doors were available to choose from, but the first was open to reveal the washroom, while the other two bore stylized nameplates. The one with the 'Sophia' label then, coincidentally featuring a very Sophia-ish giggle coming from behind it...

The door helpfully slid open as the sensors confirmed her trajectory, allowing Maria to enter the room and-

"YES!!!"   
"OH GOD_AARGH!!!_"

Maria stared, actually finding herself at a loss for words, if only for the moment. Fayt and Sophia were both in the room, both on the single bed. Their clothing on the other hand, was nowhere to be seen on their persons, except for Sophia, who was still wearing her socks. Both were now staring owlishly back at her, flushed and rapidly progressing through the various stages of embarrassment, well on their way to infinite mortification and beyond.

The correct response at this time, Maria knew, would be to stammer an embarrassed apology and beat a hasty retreat. On the other hand, you didn't learn 'correct responses' from people like Cliff Fittir...

"On top, Sophia?" she inquired with a smirk. "I never would have guessed!"

**+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ **

**A Question of Fate  
A Star Ocean: TTEOT fanfic **by** Intrasonic**

Part 1-B   
'Now that you've received your Happy Ending (tm), welcome to the rest of your life! (Note: No refunds will be issued, customer satisfaction may vary.)'

**+-+-+-+-+ **

Disclaimer: 'Star Ocean: Till the End of Time' is copyrighted by Square-Enix/Tri-Ace. This work of fanfiction is being written for enjoyment and in homage to the original work, and no profit is being made from it.

**+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ **

Maria hadn't actually had the opportunity to witness a prisoner walking down Death Row, but that was okay. Because as she lounged comfortably in the kitchen of the Esteed residence, accompanied by a fresh mug of hot coffee, she was treated to the sight of a freshly-showered Fayt and Sophia edging into the room, both their faces valiantly attempting to tint the entire room red. Fayt looked like he was praying for a lightning bolt to strike him down, while Sophia had what Maria had once heard termed a 'Pandora's Face' - full of dread, dismay, horror, fear, embarrassment, mortification... but just a little bit of hope underneath it all, that perhaps everything will turn out to just be a bad dream.

Short of taking hard narcotics, there could be no finer form of entertainment.

"Soooo..." Maria began, drawing the word out for several long syllables. "Have you two been getting along?"

"Shameless," Fayt groaned, pushing his wet hair out of his face.

"You could at least," Sophia pouted, "be a _little bit_ embarrassed..."

"Me?" Maria inquired innocently. "Ex-leader of an interplanetary diplomatic organization? Surely you jest. And believe me, some of the stories I could tell you involving Cliff..."

"I guess I can believe _that_," Fayt grudgingly admitted, have no trouble remembering a few incidents during his time spent with the Klausian. "I thought you weren't supposed to arrive here until tomorrow?"

"I thought so too, but I was pleasantly surprised. I considered checking into a hotel until tomorrow, but..."

Sophia shook her head quickly. "Oh no! It's no trouble at all! And I'm making stir-fry tonight, and there's plenty to go around. There's no school today, and Fayt and I don't, um, have anything going on this afternoon."

Maria could easily think of several ways to answer _that_ statement, all guaranteed to set Sophia blushing furiously again, but she finally decided to give the younger girl a break. "Well, if you're certain-"

"-Positive-"

"-then I'd be happy to." Maria gestured towards the counter beside herself. "I just finished brewing this. Either of you care for some coffee?"

"And I've got chocolate cookies in the fridge," Sophia informed Maria, throwing open the door and beginning to rummage around. At a glance, the contents of the refrigerator told the tale of someone who regularly handled a lot of fresh ingredients and seasonings.

"She just made them this morning," Fayt informed Maria. "She wouldn't let me have any until you arrived."

"Because you would have eaten them all!" Sophia informed him, carefully easing a platter of cookies out from the fridge. "And I wouldn't have had time to make more tomorrow!"

"Here," Maria decided, her arm snaking out and grabbing a cookie off the top of the pile. Popping the cookie into her mouth, her face broke into a smile of contentment. "Hmm... excellent. You haven't lost your touch, I see."

"She's teaching cooking now," Fayt announced. "Ever since energy costs went through the roof, there are lots of people who want to know how to make food manually."

Sophia flushed self-consciously. "Well, there were a few people who were kind of interested-"

"-they were practically begging her," Fayt interjected.

"-and well, they seemed to really enjoy it, so it's turned into a weekly thing-"

"-over seventy people in three groups a week-"

"-and well, it's been going really well."

Maria grabbed another cookie. "Good for you, and I'm not the least bit surprised. I think you're probably allowed to touch them now, Fayt."

Fayt's hand lunged for the tray, but stopped just short of actually making contact. Turning his head, he gave a hopeful look towards the bearer of the goods.

Sophia pursed her lips critically, but finally gave him a nod.

"Good boy," Maria murmured in amusement, watching him grab four cookies with one hand. She'd almost forgotten about the way the two interacted with each other. The way that Fayt could play the part of the white knight to the hilt during a crisis, but immediately look to Sophia for approval involving something completely mundane. The way that Sophia could be the uncertain damsel in distress during the same crisis, but act with complete confidence and authority afterwards. Now that the two were obviously closer, they clearly hadn't dropped their tried-and-tested routine.

She wondered which one of them had made the first move.

"He's mostly housetrained," Sophia agreed, sharing Maria's smile. "Here, let's go sit in the living room."

**+-+-+-+ **

"Soooo..." Maria began, having grabbed an armchair that would give her an unobstructed view of the other two. "You two seem to be an item, we have Sophia leading cooking classes... what else is new?"

"Um... nothing too major," Fayt offered, taking up residence on the couch next to Sophia. "This and that. Just getting on with life."

Maria shook her head. "You can do better than that, can't you? News reports said that over 60 of this planet was damaged or destroyed during the Executioner attack. And you're telling me that life just went on as usual? Basketball, holodeck games, and a 'B' average, if I recall correctly?"

Sparing a moment to direct an indignant look towards Sophia's muffled giggle, Fayt drew himself up. "I'll have you know that I've got an 'A' average now."

"That's a good start. So the school still operational?"

"The Bachtein Science University was in the one of the untouched areas," Sophia supplied. "Only a few miles away from here, actually."

"It wasn't damaged," Fayt continued. "But a lot of the faculty and students came from other areas..." he trailed off, suddenly looking a little older. "They're trying to get things going again, but the school only reopened last month."

"I can imagine," Maria agreed sympathetically. "I know there weren't many sectors that were unscathed."

"We're still having power shortages," Sophia offered. "There was some talk of trying to set up some Creation reactors on the planet, but they finally decided that they didn't want to take the risk. Besides, they take almost a year to set up properly."

"They finally brought three big antimatter plants on-line last week," Fayt continued, "near the Indian basin. That's supposed to help things out, but there's still a long way to go, since the planetary solar collector array was almost completely destroyed. In the first month, Sophia was housing a displaced family, until they finally managed to get new housing for themselves."

"We're pen-pals now," Sophia added, smiling a little. "And I think their daughter is going to be applying to Bachtein next year."

"And the two of you? A full load of classes?"

"Mostly," Fayt corrected. "Like I said, they're still a little short on faculty. That's why they're improvising a little. Sophia's getting an extra credit on the side for leading her cooking classes, I'm getting an extra credit for leading the basketball team... that sort of thing."

"Leading the team?" Maria inquired. "That's new, isn't it?"

"It was a little unexpected," he admitted. "I mean, they want the students to stay fit, and I won a championship prize a year ago, so I guess they decided to give me a chance-"

"-practically begged you, you mean," Sophia interjected.

"-and I guess I'd gotten a little leadership experience recently, so I agreed to try it. It's mostly organizing stuff, really. The guys are all dedicated, so I just try to handle the administrative side so that we can concentrate on our playing as much as possible. I think we'll do pretty good this year."

"They're undefeated so far," Sophia stage-whispered to Maria. "And they ALL say it's Fayt's doing. I think they're probably right."

Fayt looked a little uncomfortable. "It's not that. It's just that the old captain was... gone, and everybody seemed really depressed. Maybe it was the just a matter of perspective."

"Perspective?"

"Well, yeah," he agreed. "As far as most of the galaxy is concerned, somebody called 'The Creator' came along, destroyed everything, and then disappeared. Most people don't really know what happened - not like we do. But we actually beat Luther, and we _know_ that it's over. So I guess it's a little easier for us to be optimistic?"

"I suppose that's possible."

"It's not like... I didn't lose anybody," Fayt stressed, quickly banishing any signs of depression before they could take root. "But after everything I went through... I really didn't want to just sit still and mourn. I wanted to get on with my life and see what I could really do."

"Good for you," Maria approved. "I'd say you're well on your way to that goal. Are your programs still the same? Fayt, I know you were majoring in Symbological Sciences... Sophia?"

Sophia grimaced at the question. "Well... I _was_ majoring in Spatial/Temporal Physics, but I changed that to a minor."

"Oh? And what's the new major?"

"Well... you see, after everything that we went through, I found myself really getting more interested in certain things..."

"That sounds ominous," Maria observed.

"Well, I know you probably won't like it, but I'm in the same program as Fayt now," she admitted nervously.

"And...?"

"Er, well, that's it. Symbological Sciences."

"What's so bad about that? I seem to recall you giving Adray a run for his money in less than a week's time. I'd say you'd be a natural for the subject."

Sophia blinked. "You're not upset?"

"No. Why would I be?"

"Well, you know..." Fayt didn't seem to be any more fluent. "I know you were never too happy about your own powers... and here we are, both studying Symbology now..."

"Ah, I think I see," Maria realized, shaking her head. "Did you two really think it was the powers that I was upset about?"

"Well... some of the things you said-"

"It wasn't the power itself that made me upset," Maria interrupted firmly. "_My_ entire problem was the fact that it was done without my consent. And I was then forced into a situation where I either had to use the powers, or let the entire galaxy be destroyed. The entire choice was effectively taken out of my hands and made by people who thought that their positions of power and knowledge gave them the right to make it for me."

"Oh."   
"Ah."

Maria gave them both a long look, but with a small smile for their benefit. "I didn't spent a third of my life as a member of an organization like Quark because I had nothing better to do, you know. And I didn't represent us before the High Council and arrange that non-interference policy purely out of spite, you know."

"Oh."   
"Ah."

Maria finally waved aside their partially awestruck expressions. "And I certainly didn't come all the way to Earth to lecture you two. Bottom line, I don't have any problem with you two pursuing your studies in that direction. If this is the path you two have chosen of your own free will, I couldn't be happier for you."

Both seemed to relax just a little at the pronouncement.

"Although I'm certainly flattered that you two would value my opinion so highly," Maria added dryly.

Both looked a little sheepish at that.

"Well, you _did_ kind of inspire us both to try a little harder," Fayt admitted.

"Oh?"

"Eh, well..." He leaned back, looking thoughtful. "Back then, I can remember being so proud about spending all day levelling up on the holodeck simulator. I had so-so grades at school, I played basketball, I thought I was doing pretty good, right?

"And then YOU showed up on Elicoor II, and well, you just took control of the entire situation, you had people like Cliff and Mirage following your orders, you were explaining things to the Queen, you were putting together a plan to deal with the Vendeeni, you knew martial arts and fighting... And later on, you were giving orders to Quark and they were following you, you were handling the situation with both the Federation and the Vendeeni, you were hacking into the 4D computers, later on, you weren't taking any backtalk from the entire High Council."

Fayt actually laughed. "And you were only the same age as me! And it wasn't as though you'd had a very easy life, either. It kind of made me think a little harder about what I was doing with my own life, you know?"

"Me too," Sophia admitted. "That's was one of the reasons I decided to try teaching that course. You know... just to see if I could. To see if maybe I just hadn't been pushing myself hard enough up until now."

"That's good," Maria approved. "You don't want to over-stress yourself, but it's still important to push yourself to find your full potential. And perhaps even find new areas that you're good at in the process."

"Speaking from experience?" Fayt inquired.

"Would I be so confident if I wasn't?"

"_YES,_" they immediately chorused together.

"Hmph," Maria sniffed disdainfully. "And after I've been good enough to come all this way, just to catch up on events with you..."

"Says you," Fayt returned. "We've been talking this whole time, and you haven't told us anything about _you've_ been doing. I think we're owed a few stories in return, right?"

"Oh, this and that," Maria replied airily. "Just getting on with life."

Fayt's expression registered a solid 0.0 on the laugh-o-meter.

"You were still leading Quark the last time we saw you," Sophia pointed out. "What happened with that?"

"We had some long discussions," Maria informed them. "But Quark's focus was mostly on assisting potential new members to the Federation, and that had been put on hold for the time being. That made our continued presence pretty much redundant, so we decided to disband the organization."

"What about you?" Sophia asked.

"Vacation?" Fayt suggested.

"I tried," Maria admitted. "I think I'm allergic to vacations. Mirage finally suggested that I go with her. She was going to be helping her father out with the family dojo, and I could use the time to focus on my training. At least, until something else came up."

"I remember Mirage saying that she taught you martial arts," Fayt recalled.

"That's right. Back when Cliff and Mirage first rescued me, she started teaching me to keep me occupied. And later on, when my powers first manifested, she was the one who taught me control exercises that finally let me exert some influence on the power."

"So you've been training with her for the last three months?"

"That's right. Without having to worry about Quark or my powers, I've been able to make a lot of progress."

"So..." Fayt inquired with a smile, "how good are you now?"

She returned the smile. "Better. I've even started to get the hang of dodging projectile weaponry."

Both their faces registered some awe at that statement. "You mean, just like Cliff and Mirage can do?"

"Well, not on _that_ level," Maria admitted. "I just don't have the raw speed and power to match them in that respect. But I'm learning the concepts and skills behind it, and I can at least manage it in a basic, controlled setting. And of course, I've been refining my technique a great deal too."

"Does three months make that _big_ of a difference?" Sophia wanted to know.

"With a good teacher and a good student," Maria affirmed, "it certainly can. Mirage basically pushed me as hard as she thought she could, without actually doing any serious harm to me. And believe me, Klausian training isn't for the faint of heart. The first few weeks, I felt like one big bruise at the end of each day."

Both looked suitably impressed.

"It's easier once you actually understand what the training can be used for, of course. I've been in more than a few dangerous situations before, so I can easily appreciate the possibilities of what I'm learning."

"That reminds me of back when we first returned to Earth," Fayt recalled. "I tried a few games on the holodeck simulator, just for fun. I figured that after everything I'd been through, I'd be a natural at it."

"And were you?"

Fayt looked rather proud. "I was, but... at the same time, everything just seemed so _fake_. The enemies were all... stupid, I guess. They didn't have very many reactions, and they were easy to anticipate. I had to crank the difficulty all the way up to max before things started to get difficult for me. And even then, the only thing making it hard was their speed and strength - I was still smarter than them."

"Because it's just a game."

"Yeah, I guess so. I guess I thought that the game had prepared me for the real fighting I found myself doing, but in the end, all it really did was let me learn a few basics. You need the real thing to _really_ get good, right?"

"Or, you need a really good teacher," Maria corrected. "Someone who can spot your weaknesses for you, and help you correct them. Someone who can make a sparring match as educational as a real fight."

"Mirage must be a really good teacher," Sophia observed.

"She is. And so is her father. Believe me, I've come a long ways in the last three months."

"You think you might want to try teaching?"

Maria shook her head quickly. "Not a chance. I don't think I have the right temperament to try teaching anyone else. Besides, the last three months have been good, but only reason I spent them training was because I didn't have anything else on my agenda."

"Hey, that's right," Sophia recalled. "You said that you had some business here?"

"Business?" Fayt inquired. "You never mentioned that, Sophia."

"Maria didn't tell me any details," she defended. "All she said was that it was here on Earth, and that it was good business."

"That's right," Maria confirmed. "Admiral Uodo gave me a call, saying than he's got a proposition for me."

Both stared. "Admiral Uodo? You mean-"

"Well, actually, it seemed like he was doing it on the side," Maria corrected. "After all, if I was considering accepting a Federation contract, I'd be open season for any media personnel. So he seems to be deliberately keeping things vague until I actually talk with him face-to-face."

"You came all the way to Earth without knowing why?" Fayt asked incredulously.

She smiled. "He claimed it was something that would, quote, call upon a combination of my talents and contacts, unquote. And then he just casually mentioned Elicoor II."

If she'd had their attention before, she was getting it three-fold by this point.

"Elicoor-"   
"-Two?"

"At this point, anything more would be conjecture," Maria stressed. "For whatever reason, he didn't want to disclose the exact nature of the business over a channel with only standard encryption. So he simply banked on me being restless and curious enough to come all this way to hear it in person."

"You don't think it's something... _bad_, do you?" Sophia inquired worriedly.

"Hmm... You think this could all be a secret plot to get me back into Federation territory so I can be captured and held prisoner?" Maria suggested.

Both winced.

"I'm not serious," she quickly assured them. "If nothing else, the Admiral has a good track record for honesty and integrity. As politicians and diplomats go, anyway. And it's not like there's been any more spectacular displays of strange powers from any of us, right?"

"Well, of course not," Fayt agreed. "So you think this is all legitimate?"

"It seems most likely," she allowed. "It would hardly surprise me if he - or the High Council as a whole - has other motives and goals. But I could hardly expect to find out just sitting around back on Klaus IV, right?"

"I guess so," he allowed. "It still seems a little crazy to come all this way when you don't even know what for."

"How did they even know you were living on Klaus IV?" Sophia suddenly interjected. "I mean, Klaus isn't even part of the Federation."

"It wouldn't have been too hard, really," Maria assured her. "I was properly listed as a student in Mirage's dojo, so a little searching could have pulled my name up without too much difficulty. But by the Admiral's admission, they simply hoped I hadn't moved anywhere since they'd last heard of me. About a month ago, I provided some assistance to the Federation and the Klausian governments, regarding some resource exchange negotiations."

"We never heard anything about that..."

"It wasn't particularly newsworthy," Maria admitted. "The chief diplomat sent... seemed to have had some prejudice against non-Federation members. Unfortunately for him, the rest of the team didn't agree, and thought it would be funny to have him replaced with the ex-leader of an anti-Federation organization."

Fayt's amused expression indicated that he agreed.

"You mean, you were on the _Federation_ side?" Sophia asked incredulously.

"In a manner of speaking. Things had degenerated quite a bit, so it was partially a move to regain the Klausian's trust. The Klausian government never officially approved of Quark's efforts, but they never had any complaints, either. Since Quark's main goal was to promote equal dealings between different parties, my willingness to participate went a long way towards moving things forward again."

"So things worked out okay?"

"Definitely. Once the process was moving forward again, it was just the usual give-and-take of diplomacy. And more importantly, both sides came away happy with the final agreement. It helped that I'm used to talking with Klausians."

"Are they really that different?" Sophia wanted to know. "Cliff and Mirage seemed easy to get along with."

"Both of them are actually pretty laid-back for Klausians," Maria explained, "since they're both used to dealing with so many other races. But most Klausians tend to be... a little arrogant. They're very confident in their own strengths, and expect credit where it's due. They usually don't have much use for subtlety or small talk, and they tend to handle issues in a very straight-forward, proactive manner."

"_Gosh_," Fayt stage-whispered to Sophia. "_That would explain a few things, wouldn't it?_"

She nodded, whispering back. "_She must have felt right at home_."

"Excuse me," Maria interjected pointedly. "If the peanut gallery is quite finished...?"

"Don't mind us."

"Just talking to ourselves."

"Hmph." Maria met their innocent looks with one of exasperation. "You're just lucky these cookies are good."

"Hey," Fayt suddenly spoke up. "Speaking of dealing with Klausians... did Lieber ever talk with you about... something?"

Maria's look of exasperation didn't go away. "Why, as a matter of fact, YES."

"What's this about?" Sophia wanted to know.

Fayt's smile widened. "One of the crew members of Quark - Lieber - had this _huge_ crush on her, except it seems like he never had the nerve to actually confess to her..."

"-and he finally did," Maria finished, "as we were disbanding Quark."

"So... how did it go?" he persisted. "Do you have a new boyfriend we should know about?"

"No, I turned him down as gently as I could. And believe me, that was no easy task. But since you bring it up-" And here, Maria's expression darkened, "-one of the biggest problems was convincing him that I wasn't turning him down for YOU. Care to explain how he got _that_ idea in his head?"

"_I_ wouldn't mind knowing, either," Sophia added suspiciously.

Fayt held his hands up wardingly. "I didn't say _anything_ to him! He wouldn't even let me get a word in edgewise when he talked with me." Adopting a teasing smile, he leaned closer to Maria. "Sounds like he got _that_ idea before I even showed up. And you sure seemed to know a lot about me when we first met. If you ask me, that sounds kind of... obsessive. I never really pictured you as the type to go 'stalker'."

Maria's face had gone from 'dark' to 'pitch black'. "It's called Intelligence Gathering," she informed him matter-of-factly. "And if you want, I can share a few of the more... _interesting_ things I managed to pull up. You'd be _amazed_ at the kind of surveillance footage that gets archived."

Fayt's smile became a little strained. "Um... can't imagine what you're talking about..."

By this point, Sophia's expression was the sort commonly worn by people who have bet on two opposing teams, both at better than 2-1 odds. "Oooh! I want to hear-"

"Noyoudont," Fayt interrupted quickly. "Sophia, what about that meal you were talking about?"

"Coward."

**+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ **

Despite the miserable and completely unsubtle effort at a subject change, Sophia conceded that it was, in fact, time for her to start cooking supper. To that end, Fayt and Maria appeared to be willing to agree to a mutual truce, least any particularly interesting dirty laundry distract Sophia from her cooking tasks.

They settled for extracting further details about what they'd already learned.

For now.

**+-+-+ **

"I'm thinking of teaching this dish to my classes next week."

"A different dish every week?"

"Well, a different style, anyway. And stir-frying is quick and easy, and if you do it right, it's very healthy."

"With all those vegetables? I would hope so. Are they easy to get?"

"For the most part. There are a lot more people looking for them now, so sometimes they have to get them from further away, so they're not always as fresh as they used to be."

**+-+-+ **

"You know, I think this is the first time I've ever seen you wearing something besides your Quark uniform."

"Consider yourself fortunate, then. I spent most of the last three months wearing a sparring outfit. I usually stick with what works."

"Did you bring your sparring outfit with you?"

"I did, just in case I spend more than a few days here. I can't afford to set aside my training, after all."

"You'll have to show us a few moves later on."

**+-+-+ **

"So how much more schooling do you two have left?"

"I've got one more year, and Sophia has two."

"Only two? Not three?"

"She started school half a year younger than I did."

"And my change in major won't slow me down enough to make a difference. What about you? Have you ever considered getting a degree?"

"I have, although it hasn't really been an option until recently. I don't really have the proper background for an actual PoliSci degree, but I could probably get an undergraduate in Computer Sciences. Most of what I learned in Quark was related to low-level information systems and Cryptology, but it probably wouldn't be too hard to fill in the blanks. I might consider it in the future."

**+-+-+ **

"Have there been many problems with pirates in this area?"

"A few, but not too many. I've heard that just as many pirate spaceships as Federation ships were destroyed against the Executioners. Proportionately, I mean. What about the Klaus system?"

"Hardly any. The Zeta sector was fairly unscathed throughout the entire war."

"Really? That's good, I guess."

"Some people are suggesting that it got off easy because none of the systems belong to any other alliances. Klaus and Rezerb have always been independent, of course. Of course, some might say that Rezerb's operating policies are worse than any piracy. They're careful not to get on the bad side of the Klausians, though."

**+-+-+ **

"Sophia, is it just my imagination, or are you just a little bit taller now?"

"Yep! I think I might still be growing a little more!"

"Boy, any more and you'll be the shortest of us three, Maria!"

"...Spend a few years on a Klausian ship and you get used to it."

"Are they all like that?"

"Pretty much. With Klausians, it's basically genetic. Tall, healthy, strong, the whole works. I've seen lots of variety, but I don't think I've ever seen a small or ugly Klausian. They look grown-up by the time they turn sixteen, and stay that way until they hit fifty. None of them wanted to believe that _this_ was as tall as I was going to get. Mirage's father is _still_ trying to make me eat too much. I'm looking forward to some Earthling-sized servings, let me tell you."

**+-+-+ **

"Alright, everybody have a seat! Supper's ready!"

**+-+-+-+-+-+ **

"Thish _ish_ good."

"You like?"

Maria nodded, her mouth still full of food.

"Wow, you almost eat like Cliff too," Fayt observed.

"Fayt!"

Maria waved it aside, swallowing the last of her mouthful. "Believe it or not, Cliff eats quite normally for a Klausian. And I'm an active person, so I need to keep myself properly fed."

"There's lots more," Sophia pointed out, gesturing towards the stove.

"No, this is plenty. And I've already had more than either of you two, and you weren't even expecting me. Are you _sure_ you weren't expecting to feed someone else?"

"Positive," Sophia reassured her. "It's really easy to change the meal size with stir-fry. I was already planning to make extra to set aside for my parents when they finally get home."

"Do they work late?"

"Pretty much," Fayt confirmed. "Sophia's dad usually doesn't get off work until late evening, and Sophia's mom works until midnight at the hospital."

Maria's cocked her head sideways, glancing towards the main hallway. "Then who just came in?"

"Huh?"

"I just heard the front door open," she clarified. "Were you expecting anybody else?"

"Um, no..."

_"Sophia? Hello?"_

"Sounds like your dad got home early," Fayt decided, immediately recognizing the voice.

"Oh dear..." For some reason, the news seemed to distress Sophia. "Um, Maria, I _really_ meant to talk to you about this before-"

Maria looked confused. For some reason, having Mr. Esteed come home early represented a problem, coupled with Sophia having remembered that she'd wanted to talk about something. Now what would Sophia want to talk to her about, regarding her father? Ah yes, of course...

"Started supper already?" her father inquired, coming into the kitchen. "Smells good. Hello, Fayt, nice to see you. And we have a guest? Did that friend of yours arrive-"

"Hello, Doctor," Maria greeted cheerfully. Her expression was a timeless sort, except that in her case, the cat had not only eaten the canary, it had seasoned and marinated it first. "Long time no see."

The man's vocal cords had momentarily seized upon first recognizing her, but he managed to regain his composure. "Y-yes, it has been, hasn't it?"

"I wasn't expecting to arrive until tomorrow, actually," Maria continued blithely, pretending not to notice how the man was unconsciously pocketing his right hand. "I caught Fayt and Sophia by surprise too-" Here, both the aforementioned blushed "-but no harm done. We've been trading stories all afternoon, and it sounds like they've both been keeping themselves busy."

"Well, yes, they certainly have been. Er, and yourself?"

"Keeping myself occupied," she assured him. "I have some business here on Earth, so it seemed like the perfect excuse to stop by and catch up on things with Fayt and Sophia."

"Of course," he agreed, still looking rather tense. "They've-" The man cleared his throat. "They've expressed curiosity about what you were up to you, I know."

"And what about yourself?" she inquired curiously. "Research? Teaching? Something else?"

A question with multiple levels, depending on how aware you were of past events. To judge from the slight flinch, the man was all too aware of the various levels. "Ah, research, actually. Funding for academic research has been somewhat limited lately-"

"For obvious reasons," Maria granted.

"-yes, but it's more generous in certain fields than others. Energy sciences, for example. I'm currently involved in a project focussing on the improved stabilization of Creation engines."

"Oh really?"

"Well, they're not deemed safe enough for planetary use in populated areas, as I'm sure you're aware. They're only used in secure and controlled environments, such as military installations and spaceships. But we're investigating the possibility of manipulating the raw energy output so that it actually shields itself."

"As opposed to creating the space-time shield with an outside source and maintaining it with the refined after-output?"

"Exactly," he agreed, a hint of honest enthusiasm coming through in his voice. "Not only would it be more efficient, it would literally be self-regulating. It would be far more stable, and any problems would be self-containing. The potential for the technology is nothing short of fascinating, even if it's only in the early theoretical stages right now."

"I can imagine," Maria agreed. "Can I ask who is sponsoring the research?"

"The Federation, mostly," he informed her. "Which naturally disallows any undisclosed support."

"Freedom of Information laws," she agreed, not bothering to offer her own opinion on how well they were enforced at times.

"There is some secondary support from companies such as GeoTech and Titan, since the technology would be a great help in their remote mining operations. But things are still too much in the theoretical realm to engender any further commercial support. Bachtein University is providing some facilities and equipment for us to use. Beyond that-" the man shrugged, "-it's taken four centuries for Creation Energy to go from theory to practical usage, and that was only after the discovery of the Milokeenia OPA. My colleagues and myself have our work cut out for us."

"Sounds like enough to keep anyone busy," Maria agreed. "And they let you escape at the end of each day?"

"Eventually," Sophia interjected.

Her father looked amused. "Yes, eventually. I've repeatedly warned my daughter that you don't become a scientist if you want regular work hours."

"I don't doubt it," Maria agreed, deciding that the man had relaxed enough around her. Leaning back so that she was looking at all three of them. "I meant to ask earlier, but there haven't been any... problems, have there? Perhaps relating to various parties being curious about certain Symbological powers?"

Both Fayt and Sophia looked surprised at the question, but shook their heads negative.

"Nothing at all," Sophia finally replied. "There were a couple companies that offered us placements... but that was just on account of our program; it had nothing to do with the powers. I mean, that was the point of the agreement, right?"

"Just making sure," she assured them.

"What good would it even do them?" Fayt pointed out. "I mean, the powers are gone, right? Our parents even ran tests to check."

Maria gave a sharp look towards the doctor. "Oh?" she inquired lightly. "Tests?"

The man swallowed, apparently sensing the sword hanging by a thread above him. "We... were already quite confident that the powers were gone. But... Fayt and Sophia were quite insistent on clinical proof."

"Took long enough to convince him and my mom," Fayt agreed, apparently oblivious to the tension. "But yeah, absolutely no trace. We're as normal as can be."

Maria finally released the man from her gaze, directing it back towards the others. "Really?"

"You said so yourself," Sophia pointed out. "In front of the High Council? Our powers were gone, so there was nothing to examine or use in the first place. Remember?"

"I lied," Maria bluntly informed her.

Needless to say, a trio of stunned expressions met the statement.

"At least," Maria added resignedly, "I _thought_ I lied."

"You mean-"

"-your powers?"

For an answer, Maria grabbed her glass of water and held it in the air. Concentrating on the area of space underneath the glass, she upended the glass without hesitation, pouring the water out. Rather than hit the table, the water splashed and pooled inside an unseen container about half a foot above.

At this point, the trio of expressions went from 'stunned' to 'staggered'.

"It's-"

"You... how?"

"I've strengthened the inter-molecular bonds between the air molecules," Maria informed them matter-of-factly. "It's harder to do it in a predefined shape, but I can manage a cup-like effect at this point."

Fayt craned his neck to look at the water from underneath, contained within its invisible cup. "...wow."

"And if I'm careful..." Maria held her glass underneath the water, concentrating harder. In response, the water began to funnel downwards, pouring downwards through a new gap in the invisible container's bottom, into the glass again.

Setting the glass down on the table, Maria looked back at the doctor. "So I think you can understand if I was hoping to pick your brain on this matter? Especially since, apparently, only _my_ powers have remained in effect?"

The man had looked completely taken aback when the powers were first demonstrated, but the look had since waxed into one of concentration and contemplation, as befitting the scientist that he was.

"Yes... yes... of course. But I'm afraid that we were quite thorough in our destruction of our research data afterwards. The sole remnants are what our memories retain... and Robert is gone now."

"Your role in the project was more oriented towards the powers' interaction with the Time Gate and any other dimensions, correct?"

"That's right," he confirmed. "Robert headed the implementation of the Symbological genetic imprinting, whereas my primary role in the project was to determine the exact nature of the changes required."

"But the various aspects of the project weren't completely separate," Maria persisted. "And I expect that next to Dr. Leingod, you would have been the person most familiar with everything?"

"Quite likely," he admitted. "Although _this_ is... certainly unexpected."

"I can imagine."

"I'm not sure what to say..." he continued slowly. "The most that any physical testing and analysis could accomplish would be to confirm the presence of the power, but that would clearly be redundant at this point. Earlier, our methods only progressed to the point where we could initiate the results, but not analyze them further. Have there been any... unique manifestations of the power? That haven't emerged earlier?"

"Not really," she replied. "Unless you count the fact that I've been walking around on Klaus IV for the last three months. As near as we've been able to tell, my powers are simply letting me ignore the effects of the native environment."

"The native environment?"

"2.4 G of gravity, 14 percent oxygen concentration, and nearly 600 kilopascals of surface air pressure," Maria supplied. "It was assumed that I would have to stay within the hospitality sections, but when I was first trying some higher-gravity training, we found that I seemed immune to the effects. It's not that I've become any stronger or tougher - I just seem to be able to ignore it altogether. I can move objects like I always can, but the same object is 2.4 times heavier for the person helping me lift it."

"That-"

"Makes absolutely no logical sense," Maria finished, in the tone of someone who had beaten the arguments to death _ad nauseum_. "Believe me, I know that. But facts are still facts. If the illogical is happening, then logic dictates that there must be an unknown factor at work."

"True... and it would seem quite logical that the unknown factor is your Alteration symbol. I... I'm honestly not quite sure what to make of this."

"It's rather sudden," she granted. "It's not that I'm looking for any in-depth analyses or a comprehensive explanation. But if you have any insights or information on the matter, I _would_ appreciate hearing them."

"Of course. Is there... is there any chance I could have some time to think about the issue? And have supper? It's not something I've dwelled upon lately... and I missed lunch today."

As reasonable as the request was, Maria could still hear hints of... caution in his voice. As though, should she demand it, he would immediately abandon supper and go to work on her dilemma until he either solved it or dropped dead of exhaustion. Not bad, considering that the last time they 'talked' had been three months ago.

And Maria wouldn't have had it any other way. "Of course, doctor. As you say, scientists are known for keeping irregular hours - I just wanted to bring up the topic while I had the chance. And I assure you, it would be a crime to miss this supper."

"We'll keep talking in the family room," Sophia decided, having discreetly gathered up the dirty dishes and cutlery while the two had been talking back and forth. "Here's a plate, dad. Make sure you eat everything, especially if you missed lunch. Maria's staying overnight, so we can talk about this later on."

"Yes, dear."

**+-+-+ **

Upon the trio's return to the living room, Maria wasted no time in grabbing the same armchair that she had occupied earlier in the day. It was a nice chair, after all, and she'd spent all afternoon helping to break it in.

"I'll bet you come over here to visit a lot, Fayt," she observed. "Especially around supper-time."

"Definitely," he agreed, not bothering to hide a grin. "Sophia loves watching people eat her cooking, you know. Watching you, she probably thought she'd died and gone to heaven."

"Fayt!" Sophia protested, even as she reddened. "I mean, I'm glad you liked it, Maria."

"Then we're both getting the good end of the bargain," Maria decided firmly. Leaning back, she fixed the younger girl with an innocent look. "Sorry, we got interrupted earlier. But you said that you'd wanted to talk with me about something? Did it have something to do with your father?"

Fayt made a noise, contriving to convey that Maria's naivety held less credibility than a bottomless and broken cup.

It wasn't lost on Sophia, either. "Um, well, I guess it's after the fact now."

"Are you upset about how our last meeting turned out?" Maria inquired.

"Well..."

"Back then when you first introduced him to me, he immediately suggested that I help with some further testing. I refused, and he insisted. I refused again, making it absolutely clear that I didn't want to. And he insisted _again_. So I shook his hand and refused a third time."

Sophia looked away. "You didn't have to... squeeze his hand like _that_."

"It improved his hearing, didn't it?"

"He had his hand in a cast for almost a week," Sophia pointed out reproachfully.

"I've got a very strong grip," Maria agreed remorselessly. Letting her voice lose some of its edge, she continued. "Look... I'm sorry that you're not happy about it, but I'm not sorry about doing it. As far as I'm concerned, it was an appropriate and effective approach to the problem at the time. And like I mentioned earlier, I _do_ have strong opinions about people being forced into things without their consent."

Sophia sighed. "I'm not saying that he wasn't wrong to... try and push you like that. But that was three months ago now, and..."

"You want me to be nice? Haven't I been nice so far?"

"Well, yes. But could you _keep_ being nice? He's still a little nervous about you, that's why I didn't tell him about you earlier. After you... left with Cliff and Mirage, he was really upset. He wouldn't tell me what you said to him, but I think it hit him kind of hard. He talked with me later on, and apologized for everything, and hoped that I could forgive him. And he promised that I never had to worry about anything like that again."

"No kidding," Fayt added. "Sophia and I had a heck of a time just convincing him and my mom to run a few tests, just to make sure our powers really _were_ gone."

Maria leaned back in her chair. Maybe Mirage was right, this position _was_ good for thinking things over. "I'm not going to say that I'm happy with our last encounter, but if he's changed his priorities since then, I'm certainly willing to call things even."

"Thanks."

"But you can understand that I'm still curious if your father has any ideas regarding the continued existence of my powers?"

Sophia nodded hastily. "That's okay, I can understand _that_. I'd want to know too, if I was in your place."

"So your powers never disappeared?" Fayt inquired. "Ever? You've had them this whole time?"

"Like nothing had even changed," Maria agreed. "I think they've become a stronger, and my control has improved a little, but they work the same as they always have. I've made a few attempts at seeing if I could apply them any other ways, but nothing yet. Certainly nothing like the spells the two of you were managing. It's all very strange."

"Well, I'm sure my dad will have a few ideas. I saw the look on his face, and when he gets like that... We'll just give him a little time to work on it, and occupy ourselves for now."

"You know," Fayt spoke up, "we were saying earlier that you could show us a few moves?"

Maria shook her head quickly. "This soon after supper? I'd have a cramp in minutes. Besides, it's hard to properly demonstrate without an opponent."

"Fayt could volunteer," Sophia suggested with a smile.

Fayt winced, edging towards the far end of the coach. "Hey... I'm not volunteering for _anything_!"

"That's okay," Maria assured him. "Actually, I expected that you'd be curious, so I brought along a few video clips of sparring matches that I've had."

"Great! Let's plug them in!"

**+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ **

"I can't believe you were actually going to make _me_ demonstrate that stuff."

"I didn't know! She didn't do that sort of stuff before!"

Maria was trying hard not to laugh, and rapidly losing the battle. "Like I said, I've come a long way in the last three months. And you'd be surprised how much having a gun in your hand can slow you down sometimes."

"So you could have been doing that sort of stuff before?"

"Almost, I suppose."

"Makes me wonder why you bothered with a gun," Fayt suggested.

Maria dismissed the idea. "Don't believe what you see in the movies. Modern ranged weaponry beats out martial arts 99 times out of 100. And the last time usually involves extremely close-quarters, overwhelming numbers, or an idiot holding the weapon."

"What about Cliff and Mirage? They can dodge weapons, right? We've seen them."

"They've both got Klausian strength and reflexes, more than two decades of rigorous training, and most people simply aren't ready for it. And if you think back, you'll notice that they never wasted much time in closing the range before the shooter could catch on."

"So when you were dodging those stun gun shots in the video...?" Fayt inquired.

"Very basic level," Maria admitted. "It looks good, but Mirage is deliberately shooting like a novice. Against someone who'd spent two decades improving their shooting skills, and who wasn't taken by surprise... even people like Cliff or Mirage would be hard pressed. It's just that there are very few people who bother doing such a thing. It's easy to get overconfident when you've got a big weapon in your hands, and to think that you're good enough."

"So wouldn't it make more sense to just spend two decades training with guns?"

"If you were a soldier, of course it would," Maria agreed. "Because a soldier knows that they'll always have a gun available. But if you're a member of a diplomatic information brokering organization..."

"You don't always have a gun," Fayt finished. "So if you know how to use your body, I guess you're never unarmed."

"Exactly. And sometimes, in very close quarters, a gun can become too awkward to use properly. Martial arts training has other advantages as well. Physical health and fitness, for one. The ability to fight someone and simply disable them, rather than seriously hurt or kill them. And if you want, you can learn to be good at both, just like me."

"But didn't you just say that the gun interferes with your martial arts?"

"To a degree. If I want to properly use my martial arts skills, I'm limited in the size and weight of gun that I can carry. But a smaller gun might turn out to be ineffective for the situation. Since I'm just an Earthling - and not a very big one - even my best martial arts have limits. So it makes sense for me to give up a little mobility in exchange for some more capable firepower. Especially if I happen to have a Klausian on my side who has martial arts ability and power to spare."

"Huh. I never thought of things that way."

"Well, in all fairness, most people don't even need to. Which is how things should be, right?"

"That would be me," Sophia volunteered, finally making herself heard. "You know, you two could always just become pen-pals if you want to keep on talking about fighting..."

Maria smirked. "Sorry. But he _did_ ask. But if there's something else you wanted to talk about instead?"

Wordlessly, Sophia pointed towards the entrance to the room, where her father was waiting patiently, looking mildly amused at the discussion taking place.

"Very impressive," he offered, suggesting that he'd at least caught the tail end of the video clips. "How long have you been training for?"

"Since I was twelve," Maria answered. "By most standards, I started very late, but I've always been a fairly quick study at most things."

"Obviously," he agreed. "I didn't want to interrupt, but regarding your earlier question?"

"Yes?"

He frowned. "I wish it had taken me longer, but as I said before... there really isn't much material in existence to look over."

"That can't be helped, I suppose."

"Is there anything at all?" Sophia inquired hopefully.

"A few... theories," he admitted. "But nothing concrete, I'm afraid to say."

"I'd still appreciate hearing them," Maria assured him. "Perspective - especially from someone more knowledgeable in the field - is always welcome."

Taking a seat in the room's other armchair, the man exhaled audibly, closing his eyes for a moment. "I'm afraid that teaching was never my strong suit, but I'll try to explain as best I can," he began slowly. "The first step to solving such a problem, naturally, is to try and establish a control group."

"Me and Sophia?" Fayt suggested.

"Correct. All three of you were given powers at approximately the same time, and through similar means. Fayt, Sophia, at the point of victory in the Creator War, your powers disappeared. Completely and utterly, without any trace left behind. Since you represent the majority of the sample group, we'll assume that what happened to you is 'normal', or 'expected'. Am I making sense so far?"

Maria nodded. "Which makes the behaviour of my powers 'abnormal'. My powers _should_ have disappeared as well, but they didn't. Therefore, there must be another factor at work."

"Correct. The next step is to find significant characteristics that Fayt and Sophia have in common with each other, but not with you. Which I'm finding considerably more difficult, I must admit. Factors like age and gender are obviously no help."

"My powers emerged first," Maria pointed out. "I was sixteen when they first emerged. Whereas Sophia was seventeen, and Fayt was nineteen."

"I considered as much, but the existence of the DNA encoding is an absolute question. Either it's present, or it isn't. The encoding affects the powers, but nothing we know suggests that the powers are capable of affecting the encoding. Of course," the man hastened to add, "if we were to learn that such a thing _is_ possible, it would naturally change things. But we have considerable evidence that such a thing is impossible, and none that suggests otherwise."

"So the emergence of our powers is an irrelevant issue," Maria interpreted. "And based on what you said, so is the fact that I probably spent considerably more time training with my powers."

"Correct. I don't suppose you're aware of any other differences that could be significant?"

"Well... I've been wondering about this for quite some time," Maria offered. "Are you aware of any relationship between these powers and Qigong?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Spiritual energy manipulation?"

"I have some abilities in that area, courtesy of my training," Maria elaborated. "They're still quite limited, but it was that training that finally managed to help me gain a degree of control over my powers. They don't _feel_ anything alike, but even still..."

"Nothing that I'm aware of," the doctor admitted. "I wouldn't be surprised to learn that talent in one area might help in the other, but I'm not aware of any research suggesting that spiritual energy of any type is capable of effecting changes on a genetic level. Or preventing any such changes."

"I see. So much for that idea."

"There is, however, one other possibility that I can think of," he put forwards. "After what you told me earlier, about being able to survive on Klaus IV, it occurred to me. It's quite incomplete and theoretical - and somewhat multi-faceted - but..."

Needless to say, he had the complete attention of the other three.

"To start," he began slowly, "it's important to understand the nature of your three powers. Despite all being symbological in nature, they are actually quite unique in design and intent. Sophia, your powers were designed with the goal of connecting with the Time Gate and achieving access to the 4D universe in the first place. Fayt, your powers were designed with the goal of allowing objects - people, for example - to interact normally with objects in the 4D universe.

"At the very outset, we thought that only Fayt's power would be required. But after examining the problem in detail, I was quickly able to determine a flaw in the approach. In the process of crossing over, there was no way to ensure that his powers would remain intact and operate properly once in the 4D space. After all, there was no way to guarantee that even the most basic of physical properties - fundamental sub-atomic energies and construction and so on - operated the same in 4D space as they do for us."

"So if symbological powers operated differently there, the Destruction symbol that I had would have been a complete dud," Fayt guessed. "Because in 4D space, Symbology might work by completely different rules. Assuming it even existed at all."

"Correct. What was needed was something to ensure that the subject emerged into the 4D universe with the exact same potential that it left our own universe with."

"My Alteration symbol," Maria supplied rhetorically.

"Exactly. At its most basic, your symbol remotely determines the environment it is interacting with, and separates the object from the environment, to the point where even the most basic of physical and energy properties are changed into the equivalents of our universe."

"An isolation field?" Fayt suggested.

"Close enough for explanation purposes," the doctor allowed, "Imagine that the force called 'Gravity' was completely different in the 4D dimension. The Alteration symbol would change the effect of the '4D Gravity' so that it affected the subject in the fashion we associate with gravity."

"You mean, it would actually _change_ something like gravity?" Maria inquired, sounding incredulous.

"That, and far more," the doctor confirmed. "The very nature and construction of the Alteration symbol was centred around being able to adapt to whatever it might encounter. I think all three of you are sufficiently schooled to understand that there are an unbelievable range of possibilities that the Alteration symbol might have had to contend with, and we certainly assumed as much when designing the symbol. Based on that, it's not unthinkable that we may have underestimated the capability of the symbol."

"Underestimated?"

"The Alteration symbol's chief goal was to protect and enable the Destruction symbol to work properly in an alien universe. But logic dictates that the symbol couldn't possibly do that if the new environment neutralized it first. Thus, the symbol was designed to carry out its functions without actually exposing itself to the new environment. 'Tasting' without 'Eating', one might say. But if the symbol can adapt to one alien environment, ensuring that it and other things survive intact... what is there to say that it can't do it _again_? To yet another environment?"

"Another environment?"

"Yes. Such as an environment that is attempting to _erase_ the symbols. Even if the environment was an acceptable one, the Symbol could have easily reacted to anything attempting to destroy or erase it, perhaps by simply neutralizing the effect altogether."

"So the symbol might have gone above and beyond the call of duty?" Maria mused thoughtfully.

"When we designed the symbol," Doctor Esteed stressed, "we incorporated many layers of redundancy. It was crucial that the Alteration symbol be capable of adapting both itself and other items to ANYTHING, no matter how alien they might be. It was optimized around everything we already knew of the Time Gate itself, but we did our best to make it as capable as possible."

"So setting aside the question of exactly HOW we went from a deleted computer program to our own existence," Maria tried, "if the transition involved the deletion of the symbols, my Alteration symbol could have sensed the attempt _before_ it took effect, and acted to protect itself?"

"Exactly. Unexpected, but... quite fascinating."

"No kidding. So... working with this theory, how would you explain my walking around in a Klausian environment? The environment is completely normal, just well beyond Earthling tolerances, meaning that my Alteration symbol should have been indifferent to it."

"And it probably was," the doctor agreed. "But if you consider Fayt's Destruction symbol? Designed to allow normal interaction with alien environments? To build on the earlier example, what good would it do, to change '4D Gravity' into 'Normal Gravity', if the latter happens to measure at 10 G's? Beyond simply allowing normal interaction with an alien environment, the Destruction symbol ensures that the interaction experienced by the subject occurs at tolerable levels. For reasons of simplicity, we used common constants for a baseline, what most would call 'Earth-like'.

"Thus, despite whatever the actual absolute force of gravity was in the 4D Universe, the Destruction symbol ensured that what you experienced would not exceed 1 G of absolute gravity. It's actually a great deal more complicated than that, especially in ensuring that your internal biology can function properly, but the end effect is a 'Normalization' of the environment. And just like with the Alteration Symbol, we did our best to accommodate every possibility we could think of - including issues such as atmospheric compositions and pressures."

"Which sounds exactly like what I've been experiencing on Klaus IV," Maria agreed, considering the possibility.

"Naturally, the symbols were designed to not just affect their owners, but those with them," the doctor continued. "Which is why everyone who passed through into 4D space with you was protected in the necessary ways."

"But we were separated at times," Fayt pointed out. "And nobody had any problems."

"The symbols were designed to use the instance of travelling between dimensions as their catalyst. At that point, they imprinted a limited version of themselves upon all others present. Thus, when you actually emerged in the 4D universe, if there was an unacceptable manifestation of something - 'Gravity', to use my earlier example - the Destruction symbol imprinted a smaller counter-symbol in each individual to eliminate the specific problem. And likewise to counter any other problems that made themselves apparent."

"Could those smaller counter-symbols do that to others?" Fayt suggested.

"No," the doctor replied quickly. "The original symbols are the only ones that could effect changes in others. Thus, in my earlier premise, Maria's Alteration symbol is the only symbol that could have adapted to further circumstances, such as the attempt at deleting your symbols."

"But that shouldn't matter," Sophia pointed out. "According to what you said, we travelled into 4D space, and Maria's symbol put more basic symbols on each of us wherever needed. And it did it right away, so that both us and our symbols weren't affected by the new environment. If it did the same thing to Maria when something tried to erase her powers, shouldn't it have protected us again at the same time?"

The doctor smiled, a hint of fatherly pride showing through. "Which leads me into the next part of my theory."

Fayt winced. "There's _more_?"

"It's entirely possible that Maria's symbol _tried_ to protect the others from the force," the doctor suggested. "The symbol aren't omnipotent, you realize. Extremely powerful, but they surely have their limits. Whatever the exact force was that tried to remove the symbols, perhaps it was simply impossible for the Alteration symbol to develop a protection against."

"But under our working theory," Maria pointed out, "it _did_ protect me."

"To be more specific," he amended, "perhaps it was impossible to develop a protection _from nothing_. And perhaps _you_ had something for the Alteration powers to work with."

"Something that Fayt and I didn't have?" Sophia inquired curiously. "And that would be...?"

"How-" Her father made a face, as though trying to decide on something. "How familiar are you with your lineage, Maria?"

"Not much, I'm afraid. My adoptive parents were Richard and Jessie Traydor, and it's easy enough to trace back their genealogy. But I've never been able to determine my biological parents, or even find a trace of them." Here, Maria scowled briefly. "And _believe me_, it's not for lack of trying. I don't suppose you know something?"

He shook his head. "I'm afraid not. But I wasn't sure if you knew that you were adopted. You _did_ look a great deal like Jessie, and I know they didn't want you to know too early. Are you aware of the circumstances that saw you receiving the Alteration symbol?"

"Somewhat. As a baby, I know that I was originally slated for disposal-"

"DISPOSAL?!" Sophia interrupted in a horrified fashion. "A BABY!?"

Maria waved her concern aside. "The medical records claimed a complete absence of neurological activity. Completely brain-dead, in other words. I don't know who diagnosed me as such, although they were either ridiculously incompetent, or they had ulterior motives."

"Obviously," her father agreed. "And I'm afraid that I don' t know who did it, either. But when we originally needed a candidate for the second symbol, secrecy was obviously of great import. At the time, my wife wasn't pregnant with Sophia, so you were given to us, as someone with no parents or guardians, and someone who had nothing to lose. And despite the accompanying lab report, you were in absolutely perfect health."

By this point, both Sophia and Fayt looked positively shell-shocked at the story.

"I knew or suspected that much," Maria admitted. "The report listing me as brain-dead seems to have been a complete fabrication, but I've never been able to find anything further."

"Lost in the bureaucracy," Doctor Esteed guessed.

Maria shook her head. "I know all about losing paperwork and hiding things, doctor. The project you worked on was absolutely top-level classified material, and then some. But between myself and some of Quark's crewmembers, we managed to pull together enough material to write a dictionary. In the areas of obtaining information - especially secret information - Quark employed some of the best around. But in regards to my origins... absolutely NOTHING. Not even the slightest rumour or story. I'd swear that I didn't even exist before I was selected for the project."

"We were given nothing else, " the doctor admitted. "But it was an ideal situation for us, since it was a small step to simply have you listed as a newborn baby, and go through the standard legal procedures for obtaining your identity and citizenship."

"As Richard and Jessie Traydor's child," Maria guessed. "Their travelling lifestyles would make it easy to avoid questions about how she seemed to have avoided being pregnant with a biological daughter."

"Actually, that was just a pleasant bonus. And this is where I explain the last little... detail regarding my theory."

"We're listening," Fayt understated.

"When you first showed up, Maria... we ran a gauntlet of tests on you. To ensure your suitability, especially with the absence of other genealogy or medical records. You were confirmed as 100 percent Earthling, but... Robert - Dr. Leingod - thought he noticed a few anomalies. The variety that a scanner wouldn't consider significant, but that a highly-trained professor of Symbological Genetics might notice on a more intuitive level. Looking at your DNA structure, he said that it almost looked like you had traces of Expellian ancestry."

Maria blinked. "Expellian? Me?"

A nod. "As I said, very insignificantly so, but enough to catch Robert's attention. He spent a great deal of time looking it over, but finally decided that it wasn't worth worrying about. Expellian genes are _extremely_ elastic from the outset, and after only several generations of mixing, can easily disappear into the gene-codes of other races - such as Earthlings."

"But the... suggestion of Expellian DNA was there?" Maria persisted. "And before, you suggested that I might have had something unique for my Alteration symbol to work with? Expellians DO have a well-known affinity for Symbology."

"Exactly," he agreed. "If you _did_ have some Expellian background, no matter how small, it might just have been enough to allow your Alteration gene to work a solution..."

"That... is new," Maria admitted, leaning back in her chair. "Somewhat shaky evidence, but even still..."

"There is something else."

"Something else?"

"Back when you were first given to us," the doctor elaborated carefully. "Jessie took a liking to you, almost from the very start. Not that it's unusual for someone to take a liking to a newborn baby, but this was... different. She seemed rather preoccupied with you, despite the fact that her work involved both you and Fayt equally. When she and her husband decided to adopt you, Richard did it out of a belief that you deserved a better lot in life, especially in lieu of the burden you were being made to bear. But Jessie... she claimed to feel a very close attachment to you, a 'bond' of sorts."

"A bond? I know she was Expellian, but I've never heard of any special bonding or attachments associated with the race."

"Nor have I." With sigh, the doctor leaned back in his own chair. "I honestly don't know. I admit that such a thing didn't seem terribly significant at the time. Jessie was always an affectionate and outgoing person, and it was hardly unusual to see her so caring towards a baby. And Robert's observations earlier... so insignificant that he never even bothered to make any records of it. But in hindsight, it's easy to start jumping at shadows and second-guessing earlier observations."

"I understand," Maria agreed wearily. "I'm not the kind of person who jumps to conclusions like that, but... that doesn't mean I don't appreciate this information. If all of this _is_ true... does that mean I'm technically walking around with all three symbols in me?"

"In a manner of speaking. You would still have the fullness of your Alteration symbol, of course. But in the process of protecting itself, that symbol would have also protected anything previously done to you by Fayt and Sophia's symbols. So whatever aspects differed between this universe and the 4D universe, the spells enacted to counter them would still be in effect now. We may never know what the exact environment was in the 4D universe, but it's quite likely that - among other things - it contained unacceptable variations in things such as gravity and atmosphere. In which case, the same counter-spells that allowed you to function there are also allowing you to do likewise elsewhere in this universe. In fact, adapting to Klaus IV might well be child's play in comparison to what those symbols had to cope with in the 4D universe."

"Child's play... there are a lot of potential repercussions to that."

"I know," he agreed sombrely. "The more I consider the issue, the more convinced I become of it. It took us four centuries to go from theory to practice with Creation Energy... I think I would prefer that another four centuries went by before the same happens with this."

Maria raised an eyebrow. "I wouldn't have expected to hear that from you."

Sophia winced at the challenging note, but her father only smiled. "A short time ago, neither would I. But... as you say, the potential repercussions are truly staggering in scope. In another four centuries, perhaps we'll be ready to pursue that path. But for now, I think that I would much rather civilization work on refining the knowledge that it already possesses. Sometimes I think it's a miracle, that only a handful of lives were ruined by what we did."

"You might be right," Maria agreed quietly, not bothering to refute the statement. "You may be right."

**+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+   
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ **

"Ok, pick whatever side you want."

"I'm fine with either."

Sophia shook her head impatiently. "You're the guest, so _you_ have to decide! Your hostess says so!"

Maria stifled a laugh at Sophia's imperious tone of voice. Fifteen minutes ago, Sophia had finally taken it upon herself to remind Fayt about his early-morning classes, and decreed that a 'no boys allowed' policy was in effect for the sleepover. So it was that Fayt (reluctantly) departed, promising that they would continue their discussion tomorrow. The instant the door had shut behind Fayt, Sophia had immediately looted the refrigerator and several kitchen cupboards, declaring that they needed to get their recommended daily intake of the fifth food group.

Giving the guest bed another look, Maria tossed her lone piece of luggage on the left side. "Then I choose this side, oh demanding hostess. Are you sure you aren't letting that extra millimetre of height go to your head?"

"It's a BIG millimetre," the younger girl insisted stubbornly, setting the snacks down on the night table. "Oh, and the washroom's just through that door. It's a fully-equipped one, so it's got a shower and everything."

"Sounds good. Does this guest room get used often?"

"Only occasionally, when we have relatives over. But this bed is bigger than my own, so it works out good. Do you shower in the morning or evening?"

"Morning, usually," Maria replied, taking a seat on her side of the bed and beginning to rummage through her bag for her sleepwear. "And I haven't been doing any training today, so I'm fine."

"Me neither, so I'm fine too."

"I seem to recall that you had one earlier this afternoon," Maria pointed out.

Sophia's face almost immediately began to redden.

"Really, it's just as well that this bed is bigger. It looked like you and Fayt were having a little trouble both fitting on your own bed before."

"..."

"So how long before you tell your parents about the two of you?"

"Maria!"

Maria deftly plucked the thrown pillow out of the air. "I'm just compensating for my lack of height, remember? It's a BIG millimetre, after all. I don't suppose your education taught you any formulas for converting Height to Embarrassment? How much more before we're the same height again?"

"You're impossible!"

"I know. It's a good thing that I'm on your side, isn't it?"

"Argh..." Sophia flopped down on her side of the bed, staring at the ceiling. "I'm too tired to punish you. You get off easy tonight."

"You're too kind. Here's your pillow back."

"_**Mmph**_Thanks. Shouldn't you be too distracted and preoccupied right now to make fun of me?"

"Why?"

"After everything my dad said?"

"Oh, _that_. Remember, I've had my powers for nearly four years now, so you might say that I've gotten used to them in a sense. And I've known a fair bit about my origins for some time now. Your father's hypothesis is certainly interesting, though. If he's right, I might just have these powers for the rest of my life."

"...The way you say it, you'd think it wasn't a big deal."

"It all depends on how you look at it, I suppose. The power in itself isn't actually doing any harm, is it? If I want to keep practicing with it, then I can. If I want to ignore it, I can probably do that too. And as far as the possibility of me having traces of Expellian DNA in my background, it's obviously too faint to have any legal ramifications."

Sophia smiled wanly, adjusting her pillow for comfort. "You really haven't changed, have you?"

"Hmm?"

"You were just like this before, I remember. Back before, when we were travelling to Styx and we were sharing quarters on the Aquaelie. I had just found out that I had a special symbol like you and Fayt, and I couldn't believe everything that was happening. Fayt was ready to do whatever he had to do, even if he felt a little scared. But you... you just made everything sound like it wasn't even going to be a problem in the first place. Like we were just going to Styx for groceries or something."

Maria looked amused. "Is that how I seemed?"

"Well, kind of. I mean, I'm sure you had problems too, but you didn't let them slow you down. I didn't know what I was supposed to do with my powers, but you just told me that whatever I had to do, I could deal with it when the time came, and it would be easier if I got some sleep."

"I said that? I was probably a little preoccupied at the time. I hope I didn't come across as too harsh."

"No, not like that. Actually, it really made me feel better, knowing that somebody else wasn't worried. I mean, the Admiral was okay, but he was a military officer. But you weren't much older than I was, so it really helped to see you being so calm and in control about everything."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah. That's why I was really happy that you were coming to visit. Back then, so much had just happened, but we wound up saying goodbye and never saw each other again. I was kind of hoping to be able to talk with you more, now that everything was calming down again."

"I _am_ sorry," Maria offered honestly. "It wasn't that I was trying to avoid you, but I wasn't in the best frame of mind at the time. And for what it's worth, I'm certainly happy to talk about anything you want now..."

Sophia looked a little sheepish. "I know... I've been trying to figure out how to bring up the topics."

Maria waved the concern aside. "Don't bother. Sudden topic starting and changing is considered acceptable in Klausian social etiquette. And once you've heard Steeg and Lieber debate about 'Yesterday's weather', 'Antique microfusion reactors', 'Cosmetic surgery bloopers', and 'Favourite shoe brands', all during one paragraph, anything else is pretty tame by comparison."

"Oh. I see. Um, HOW can you talk about-"

"You're better off not knowing, trust me. It was a pretty emotional debate, and everybody who overheard had trouble getting to sleep that night. At any rate, I don't recommend this for most Earthlings, but if you want to ask me about something, you may as well go ahead and just blurt it out. Really, I'm a pretty difficult person to offend."

"Oh. Okay." Sophia swallowed. "Um... did you ever have something for Fayt?"

"Have something for-" Maria cut herself off as the proper neurons finally connected the dots. "Double-checking for any competition?"

"N-no! It's just... I was kind of curious. Back when I was first rescued from the Vendeeni, when I was hearing the story for the first time, Fayt talked a lot about you. I think he was really impressed with you. And you're the same age as him, you're really pretty, you're good at so many things, you both had special powers..."

"To be honest..." Here, Maria smirked at the anticipation written across her friend's face. "...no."

"No?"

"No," she repeated firmly. "Now, I won't swear to this, but I think Cliff and Mirage were hoping for something like that to happen."

"They were?"

"Well, you have to admit... one boy, one girl... both the same age, both with incredible powers, both fighting together against terrible forces... it all sounds very storybook, doesn't it? You can almost hear the 'Happily ever after', can't you?"

"Um, yes..."

"But I never really saw it that way. Actually, there were times that I found myself getting rather irritated at him. Knowing as much as I did about his sheltered background, sometimes it grated when he started getting preachy about certain things. And his tendency to play hero and rush into danger was downright dangerous at times."

"Really? Wow... I never realized."

"Once I got to know him better," Maria added, "I revised my opinion considerably. But trust me, there was never any danger of romance happening. And I'd be willing to bet that Fayt had some reservations about me, too. So you can breath easy, alright?"

"I was just curious," Sophia assured her hastily. "I mean, if I didn't think I could trust Fayt, we'd never get anywhere, right? But you _did_ say to just blurt it out."

"That's right." Grabbing her pack and rummaging through it for a moment, Maria produced her toiletries, having had the foresight to pack them last. "Care to try again?"

"Um..."

"Not that I mind talking in general. We can always talk about other things and see if you get a chance to work the questions in. Eventually."

"...What did you say to my dad?"

"That's a good girl. What did I say to your dad? When?"

"Back when you first met him," Sophia clarified. "When you... hurt his hand. You said something to him, but we couldn't hear it. And he was upset for a long time afterwards. He kept apologizing to me, but he wouldn't tell me what you said."

"I see."

Sophia looked downcast. "He said that I wouldn't understand. Not for a long time yet."

"I see."

"If it was something bad..."

"It's not that," Maria replied quietly.

_'...I'm going to let go of your hand in a moment, Doctor, and let you call a medic. But until then, you'll listen to every word I have to say. Your seventeen year-old daughter is one of the kindest, most forgiving people I've ever met. And I consider her my friend, which is why I'm being so NICE right now...'_

"Then what is it?" Sophia persisted.

_'...your daughter is gone now. The person who's standing across from us right now is someone else, someone who's fought in life-or-death battles, who's seen people die, who's had blood on her hands... who's KILLED others. And if there was any justice in this universe, I'd have to line up behind her right now...'_

"To be honest, it's hard to explain without simply telling you what I told him."

_'...my work involves dealing with people like you. People who force these kinds of situations on others, who are in no position to object. People who think being more powerful or knowledgeable gives them the right to start labelling other people as resources or costs. Or test subjects...'_

"But that should mean that it's self-explanatory, right?"

_'...don't give a damn how you rationalize it. A _real_ parent, rather than inflict that upon their children, would have died trying to figure out a way to do it to themselves...'_

"Maybe."

"If you don't want to tell me," Sophia allowed, "that's okay. But could you at least not tell me that I'm too young to understand?"

The corners of Maria's mouth quirked upwards. "Considering my own life, I'm the last person that should be telling someone else THAT."

"Well, I'm not saying that I'm _you_, but that doesn't mean that I'm... like I was before,"

"Innocent, you mean? Childlike? Naïve?"

Sophia reddened, but didn't actually deny the charges. "Maybe, but not anymore, okay?"

Maria actually laughed at the declaration. "Sophia... trust me, you haven't completely lost it."

"Maria..."

"But you're also right, you're _not_ the same person that you were before. And that's more or less what I told your father."

"What you told... I still don't get it."

"Well... how were things for you when you first got back home again?" Maria inquired nonchalantly. "Happily ever after? Business as usual? Sleep well?"

Sophia's face shadowed over. "No. I didn't... sleep very well for the first week or two."

"Dreams?" Maria guessed.

A nod.

"Nightmares?"

Another nod.

"You found yourself trying to understand what we just did? Wondering if you really _did_ have to do those things? Wondering if, just maybe, there had been another, better way?"

A third nod.

"But you worked through it, right? You're fine now, right?"

Sophia's face hadn't quite returned to normal. "Well... I guess so. But..."

"Things are just a little different, aren't they?" Maria finished knowingly. "You don't look at everything the same way, do you? And you'll probably never forget some of the things you had to do."

"You too?"

Maria nodded slowly. "Some people might say that it's just a part of growing up... but I don't believe that having to kill people is a part of growing up. At least, it _shouldn't_ be, and you were effectively forced down that path from birth. And my talk with your father back then, I think it drove that point home."

"Oh."

"'Oh?' That's it?"

"That's... different than what I expected, I guess," Sophia offered. "I mean, from my dad's reaction, I thought maybe you said something... worse."

"Threatening?"

"Well, no, he never seemed scared after what you said. Just... really sorry. And really sad."

Maria raised an eyebrow in response. "That probably says something then, if what I said affected him so much. To be that upset over something that's happened to his daughter - is that really a bad thing?"

Sophia smiled softly. "Maybe you're right. But I really don't want him obsessing over it, either."

"Then just keep on doing what you're doing. Let your father see you - despite what you've been through - living a happy and well-adjusted life."

"You're probably right. I guess there isn't any instant solution, is there? Liquorice?"

Maria grabbed a handful of candy from the proffered bag. "Thanks."

"What about you?"

"What about me?"

"Were you... okay after everything? You sound like you know what you're talking about."

"I was fine afterwards," Maria replied, "but you have to realize that this wasn't exactly my first time being in such a situation. Quark isn't the safest of organizations to join, especially if you're a figurehead for it. Since joining up with them, I've been in more than a few situations that forced me to use lethal force. It was always in self-defence, but that doesn't make the people any less dead."

"What was it like the first time you... killed someone? Do you still remember it?"

Maria actually gave a short laugh. "Remember it? It was almost five years ago now, but I can still recall it like it happened five minutes ago."

Sophia's expression now held a hint of curiosity. "You... what happened?"

"I was fifteen at the time, and had been allowed to go on a fairly standard off-ship mission for Quark. I wasn't even an official member at the time, but I wanted to have a better look at what the organization did. It wasn't anything special, but it turned out that there were a few corporate interests that took exception to our presence. And they decided that they would handle things by having the two senior officers killed."

"Two... you mean, Cliff and Mirage?"

"That's right. I was sharing a room with Mirage for the mission and... well, I don't think they expected me to be there, but the two sent to deal with Mirage must have decided against leaving any witnesses. Mirage hit the first one so hard the door was knocked out of its frame, but the second one aimed for me. By this point, I'd had three years of Mirage's training, so I managed to push his knife arm away and knuckle-punch him directly in the throat. His windpipe was completely crushed, and he asphyxiated."

"That's... terrible."

"I was a little shell-shocked," Maria admitted, "but the real shocker was afterwards. Two other people had gone for Cliff and... well, they didn't catch him off-guard, and without anyone else in his room to protect, he could afford to take his time. He knocked them out and turned them over to the local police, which was how we discovered who had sent them. It wasn't anything new to Cliff or Mirage, but I didn't take the information very well.

"I thought it meant that Quark was at war with someone. After all, my parents had been lost in the Federation-Aldian wars, so I understood that people died in wars. What I had a hard time accepting was that the attempted killing had been for no reason except money. In this case, some group had wanted to maximize their gain from a potentially lucrative new Federation member, but Quark's information and advice was hampering that goal. So they decided to resort to murder."

"That's terrible. All of it, I mean. It must have been hard for you."

"It took me some time to get a grip on it all," Maria agreed. "I did a lot of searching and researching about the question, but the longer I looked, the more obvious the answer became. The fact was, there were people out there who were willing to classify other people as 'resources' or 'costs', rather than human beings. People who considered others to be expendable, for nothing more than power or money. In the end, that was the point at which I officially joined Quark, as a very dedicated member. And the rest of it, as they say, is history."

"So it changed you too, you're saying?"

Maria chewed on a piece of candy thoughtfully. "The change was mostly a matter of outlook, rather than my personality. But I suppose that I would probably be a different person today if I hadn't had that experience, and others like it."

Sophia grabbed another handful of liquorice, having apparently regulated the action to an unconscious reflex action. "How much do you think _I've_ changed? I mean, it's not like we actually knew each other before it started, but..."

"Some," the older girl allowed, helping herself to some of the same candy. "For the most part, you and Fayt both seem the same as always. But at the same time, you're both suddenly pushing yourself to try some things that you wouldn't have considered before. And you've both stated that it was the recent events that gave you the impetus to do that."

"But you just said before that I 'hadn't completely lost it'. What do you mean by _that_?"

"What do you _think_ it means?"

"...Are you saying that you think I'm still naïve?"

"No, I wouldn't say 'naïve'. Still a little 'innocent', maybe. But that's not the same thing as 'ignorant'."

"Then what do you mean?" she persisted.

"I'm not sure that I know the right word for it... Maybe a combination of 'unselfish', 'generous', and 'idealistic'. You and Fayt are both like that. You tend to give without expecting anything in return, and see the best in other people. A lot of people, after what you've been through, would have lost that. Assuming they ever had it in the first place."

"You think?"

"Definitely. No one's ever told you that?"

Sophia looked thoughtful, but also rather pleased. "I don't think so. Not in so many words. I've had people say that I'm 'nice' or 'friendly' or 'cheerful', but..."

"Well, there you go. Be sure to add those to your list. And speaking of 'generous', pass the liquorice."

"Sorry, we, um, ran out. Let me see what else I brought up... are you thirsty? I have some cola and bottled lemonade."

"Lemonade sounds good."

"Here you go. Now for food... how about some coffee-flavoured, chocolate-covered caramel and fudge toffee?"

"...they SELL something like that?"

"It's homemade."

"Does it come with insulin?"

"Here, try some, it's really good!"

"..."

"Well?"

"..."

"What do you think?"

"Ish vewy vewy vewy shweet an chewy."

Sophia beamed proudly. "I know! I use Beegul sugar for the recipe, because it's a lot more concentrated than most other kinds of sugar, and it's naturally syrupy. In older times, they would actually use it to construct their hives! They could store up sugar for times of famine."

"Oo don shay."

"Do you think the coffee flavour works?"

"The coffee ish good."

"In my Molecular Chemistry 371 class, we were learning about overlapping molecular spaces, and I was curious whether sugar molecules could be compacted like that, so I did a little research, and... presto!"

"Amashing."

"Isn't it? Fayt tried it once and said that his eyes couldn't focus right for the next half hour."

Maria finally managed swallow the candy, assisted by almost half a litre of lemonade. "Wow..."

"Have some more?" Sophia offered quickly.

Maria held up her hands wardingly. "Er... that's okay. It's... good, it's just... wow... very sweet."

"I'll send a package with you, whenever you actually have to leave. You weren't expecting to be here until tomorrow, right? Does that mean you won't be meeting until the day after?"

"I confirmed my arrival as soon as I reached the terminal here on Earth. I'll be meeting with the Admiral tomorrow, an hour before noon."

"And you still have no idea what it's for?"

"None at all. He seemed to think that I'd find it quite interesting, and he dropped 'Elicoor II' for no apparent reason, which may or may not mean anything. Like I said before, he seems to be banking on me being curious enough to see for myself. Which I can accept, for now."

"You really _are_ looking forward to this, aren't you?"

"To be honest, yes. You don't think so?"

"I don't know. It seems interesting, but I don't know if it's in a good or a bad way."

"True, but how else am I going to find out for sure?"

Sophia shook her head ruefully. "Are you _sure_ you're the same age of Fayt?"

"Well, I was a newborn at the same time as him... you draw your own conclusions."

'"It's just, you SEEM older than he does. You always seem to be handling things, no matter what happens."

"Maybe I do," Maria granted. "But is it really that surprising? If you take a look at my life, I've always had to be independent. Not that I have anything against working with other people, but I haven't really had the luxury of depending on them. At a certain point, it simply becomes an ingrained part of my personality, right?"

Sophia bit off another large chunk of her sugary homemade dessert, apparently possessing a cybernetic pancreas. "That's kind of funny, in a way."

"Oh?"

"Well, ever since we first met, I wished I was more like you," she admitted, her expression showing a hint of embarrassment. "But to be like you, I'd have to go through everything that you did, wouldn't I?"

"Probably," Maria agreed. "But on the other hand, you have many qualities that I don't have - and probably never will. It's fine to admire someone else's qualities, but I think you should be more careful about wanting to BE like them."

"But isn't it good to have goals?"

"Of course. But you should be careful about what goals you set. Sometimes they're not always the best - or even possible."

"You think?"

"Well, I spent more than a few years wanting to be just like Mirage. How well do you think I did at that?"

"You wanted to be like Mirage?"

"I even tried braiding my hair."

"I... can't quite picture that. I mean, I guess you're like her in some ways, but in others-"

"-I failed miserably," Maria finished. "And it's probably for the best. It wasn't that Mirage wasn't - isn't - a wonderful person. I've heard her called everything from a 'Queen-of-All-Trades' to a 'Genius Savant'. She's perfect at absolutely everything she does, she's the nicest, kindest person you could possibly imagine, but strong enough to handle any situation... and Quark would have failed miserably if she'd led it. Which why Cliff was the one who founded it, and I took over later on."

Sophia took a moment to digest the information. "So... the point is that you need different people to do different things? And one person can't do everything?"

"If I actually took the time, I bet I could learn how to cook almost as good as you can. But I'm willing to bet that I could probably NEVER teach a class the way you're doing right now."

A giggle. "That would be... an interesting class."

"It would also be an ONLY class, I'm sure."

"So..." Sophia began slowly, "how do you know if you're doing the right thing? How do I know that I'm the best I can be? How do I _know_ that I'm supposed to be like me, and not like you?"

"I'd probably tell you to look over your own life and try to figure out everything that's made you the way you are. Every time you decided to do one thing over another. And try to decide if you made the right choice or not. If so, then the person you are is the 'right' person to be. At least, that's what Mirage and her Father say."

"Wow." Sophia flopped backwards on her pillow, staring up at the ceiling. "So maybe I could become a certain special 'someone' in the future, but only if I make the right choices right now?"

"That's one of looking at it, I suppose."

"That's sounds pretty simple. Just a bunch of choices?"

"I've always felt," Maria replied, mimicking her friend's actions on her own pillow, "that no matter what you come up against, you've always got choices. Sometimes you might not see them all, but they're still there and it's important to make sure you know about them. Sometimes, the better choice might be a very hard one to make. Sometimes, the better choice might even put your life at risk."

"You think so?"

Maria smiled softly. "You just have to hope that you're strong enough to follow that choice through to the end, no matter what."

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Author's Ramblings:

Don't you hate it when authors make their characters ramble on and on with half-baked, pseudo-scientific details that are so interesting and exciting that you catch up on your beauty sleep? And if that weren't bad enough, they write pages and pages of meandering dialogue? Yeah... sorry. Any items of import will be revisited later in easier to swallow chunks, I promise.

Anyone in the Western Hemisphere is probably still getting occasional newscasts on the situation in New Orleans and surroundings after hurricane Katrina. Can you even IMAGINE what Earth would probably look like after the Creator War? Nevermind the rest of the galaxy? I was considering painting a much different, darker picture of things, but finally decided that it wouldn't really be relevant to the rest of this story. So if things seem a little too happy, there's your reason why. Just the same, it'd be cool to see a post-game fanfic working within such a worst-case scenario.

And now, a few words on Maria...

As any Star Ocean fanfic reader can attest to, the listing of SO3 fanfics is steadily growing larger by the day, and the various portrayals of its characters are growing almost as quickly. Maria doesn't seem to be any exception to this, as I've managed to find a huge range of portrayals of her, ranging from uber-bitch to simpering schoolgirl to demolition woman to lovestruck romantic. I've done a fair bit to outline my own impression of her these last two chapters, and those traits are going to carry strongly throughout the rest of this piece.

My biggest impression of her? 'Superwoman'. She's good looking, a computer whiz, seems to have a lot of general knowledge in a various areas, she's a martial arts buff, she's a crack shot with a blaster, she's got a mysterious and powerful Alteration symbol in her genes, she's leading an interplanetary diplomatic organization, and she's apparently got enough 'charisma' that Quark has been expanding rapidly, much more so than under Cliff's previous leadership. She's highly principled in certain respects, commenting numerous times on her belief that people should have the freedom to make their own choices, and spontaneously throwing out a "Besides, the strong must be magnanimous towards the weak".

All this, and she's only nineteen years old? Dammit, any fanfic writer who invented a character like _that_ would be buried in Mary-Sue accusations before the day was out. But in the end, those facts/events ARE canon to the game. And working within those facts, when trying to get a handle on the kind of person who really COULD manage all that, some very interesting characteristics are suggested. So fair warning - that's the kind of Maria who will be starring in this fanfic. In fact, that kind of Maria is exactly what spurred on the concept for this fic in the first place.

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End Chapter 1-B

Last Revision: 09/12/07


	3. Part 1C

Everybody has a different system for waking up in the morning, and in this, everybody is usually convinced that the rest of the world is crazy. Sooner or later, though, the system usually involves standing in front of a mirror, trying to position a piece of clothing or hair that will simply fall out of place the minute the mirror is no longer available.

In certain select areas, ascetics, nudists, and skinheads have it made.

"Can I borrow your comb when you're done?"

"I'll trade you for the mouthwash."

If the downstairs washroom in the Esteed residence was a little crowded, the fact that Maria and Sophia were attempting to groom themselves at the same time explained most of it. It was probably a small mercy that neither had excessively styled hair or cosmetics to deal with.

A light tapping was heard at the door, coupled with a "Can I come in yet?"

"We're a little short on room," Maria replied.

The door promptly opened, Fayt squeezing in next to Sophia. "I just need to brush my teeth. I can't have garlic sausage breath when I meet with the Dean of Athletics this morning."

"People who stop by for breakfast shouldn't be complaining about the breath they get afterwards," Maria pointed out. "And I didn't say that we were done."

"I guessed," he replied, foraging around for the toothpaste. "And it would have served you right, if you _weren't_ done."

"Are you still sore about yesterday?" she inquired lightly. "Look at it this way - if I hadn't arrived a day early, it might have been your father arriving home early and walking into your unlocked bedroom."

"At least _he_ would have been embarrassed."

"I was never very good at being embarrassed."

"You've got _that_ right."

"_Guys_," Sophia interrupted, sounding exasperated. "No fighting in the washroom."

"We're both going to talk with important people," Maria pointed out. "A little adrenalin is helpful sometimes."

"_I'm_ just talking with the Dean about some upcoming off-campus matches," Fayt objected, between toothbrush strokes. "What kind of meeting are _you_ expecting?"

"I don't know," she replied. "Which is the whole point, really. I can't afford to let my guard down."

"Are you _sure_ you should be meeting with them?" Sophia wanted to know. "I mean, the High Council members were the ones who approved the Symbological genetics project in the first place, right? Even though it was illegal?"

"Believe me," Maria stressed, "I'm aware of that. But that doesn't mean that I'm going to tar and feather the entire Federation with the same brush. I was never much for history, but I'm sure they're not the first organization that was founded with good ideals and motives, then twisted and abused by other people. The earlier business is one thing, this... well, I'll see, right?"

"I guess so," Fayt agreed, spitting a mouthful of toothpaste suds into the sink, before ducking out of the washroom.

"You're really okay with this?" Sophia persisted. "REALLY okay?"

"As well as I could possibly be," Maria promised. "I did a little casual research on Admiral Uodo on my trip to Earth, and I've heard a couple of good reports about him from other contacts that I still have. He's far from innocent, but he's a straight shooter who looks beyond his own personal interests. They come much worse than that, believe me."

"Oookay."

"Don't worry about it," Maria chided lightly. "You've got lots of other things to worry about right? I'll tell you all about it this evening, and you can decide if there's anything new to worry about then."

Sophia's smile indicated that the hint wasn't lost on her. "I know, I know. How long until your ride comes?"

"The taxi should be here in the next fifteen minutes."

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**A Question of Fate**

**A Star Ocean: TTEOT fanfic **by** Intrasonic**

Part 1-C

'Now that you've received your Happy Ending (tm), welcome to the rest of your life! (Note: No refunds will be issued, customer satisfaction may vary.)'

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Disclaimer: 'Star Ocean: Till the End of Time' is copyrighted by Square-Enix/Tri-Ace. This work of fanfiction is being written for enjoyment and in homage to the original work, and no profit is being made from it.

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"How can I help you?"

"Maria Traydor. I have an appointment with Admiral Uodo, 1100 local time?"

The receptionist in the information booth briefly perused her computer screen, before looking up again. "Yes, I have it here. It's not for half an hour yet, and the Admiral is busy with another party at the moment. He's using private conference room nine, which is right next to the South wing food court. You can wait there until it's time, if you'd like."

"I'll do that, thank-you."

"Have a nice day."

The Gibraltar Planetary Spaceship Port was among the minority of Earth's infrastructure that had escaped largely unscathed during the Executioner attack. Boasting several hundred loading docks, a highly efficient body of workers, and a well-developed transportation network to connect it to the rest of the planet, it had been an industrious location from its inception. Nestled just north of the channel between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, the Gibraltar port could easily send and receive both people and goods from the directions of land, sea, air, and space.

After the Creator War, with countless other ports either heavily damaged or completely destroyed, the traffic count at this port had skyrocketed far beyond any anticipated level. Hour upon hour, millions of tons of raw materials and building supplies passed through the port, destined for less fortunate locations on the African, European, and even Asian continents.

Needless to say, traffic was positively nightmarish at the best of times.

In more immediate and practical terms, this meant that it had taken Maria almost an extra hour longer to actually set foot inside the facility. But once inside the facility, the line-up of non-commercial passengers was almost non-existent, which made navigating quick and easy. Well-placed signs provided easy directions to important locations, such as food courts, which Maria promptly followed.

'Food Court' was something of a misnomer, since it lacked any real service facilities. Rather, there were simply a series of commercial-grade food replicators at one end of the area, which could be made to create whatever the individual desired. After receiving the meal, the eater had their choice of any number of the larger communal tables, or the smaller private ones. In short, it contained all of the features one might expect of a port that employed several thousand workers and needed to periodically let them eat, but nothing more than was actually needed.

Inserting the business end of a personal data chip, Maria allowed one of the replicators to download her personal coffee blend (containing no battery acid or hydraulic fluid, no matter what certain people might claim), as well as a small monetary sum. Several moments later, a cup of steaming hot liquid appeared in the opening, which she took to a one of the smaller tables overlooking one of the main docking areas.

The vast majority of the docking spaces were occupied by spaceships, their sides or backs opened to allow the rapid on or off-loading of their cargo. The few ships near the one end of the docking wing stood out, if only for the fact that they tended to be cleaner and better maintained. Passenger ships, more than likely, preparing to either take on or let off their customers. Popular custom usually saw the more luxurious outfits getting the lower numbered docks, which were closer to the reception area, and further from the noisier, dirtier, and smellier cargo hauling spacecraft. The other side of the argument came from the on-dock workers, who wanted the 'snobs' and 'bigwigs' as far as possible from where people were actually 'getting work done'.

Maria briefly considered grabbing a newspaper to read, but finally decided to save her money. She'd already perused the Esteed's paper this morning, and doubted that this port carried any newspapers that would tell her anything new. It wasn't that she was cynical about the ability of the mainstream news organizations to keep the populace well-informed (actually, she was), or that she was bitter towards the groups that had consistently tried to portray her as a terrorist leader (not much, anyway), but she long ago come to the conclusion that most information worth knowing took more effort to find than simply picking up a newspaper. Ultimately, newspapers were a form of entertainment, and the ones that stayed in business were the ones that provided entertaining news to their readers. The real trick was to find one that catered to an audience that was entertained by useful news.

"Can I offer you my newspaper?"

Turned her head slightly, Maria eyed the woman who was approaching her. As promised, she held a newspaper in one hand, but that was rapidly reduced to a secondary concern. Of more concern was the fact that, even as she locked gazes with the new woman, she could feel someone's gaze on her. The fact that the gaze was coming from the same woman only helped matters slightly.

_Dioptodiscertism: The disconcerting sensation of trying to decide which two of another person's eyes to stare back at. Commonly experienced when facing someone who has more eyes than you do._

"No thanks," Maria replied after a brief moment, finally settling on meeting the Tetrageniot's lower two eyes. "But thanks anyway."

"Suit yourself," the older woman agreed easily. "I had just finished reading it myself, and you have the look of someone who keeps herself informed."

"I do," Maria assured her. "But I already read the paper this morning."

"This one? I didn't know they did home delivery."

"No, a different one. But by the time they finish selling each other their articles, the major new publications tend to be quite similar."

Pulling out the seat across the table, the woman sat down comfortably. Her posture spoke of both casualness and amusement, but her eyes - all three of them - spoke of calculation and analysis. "But you can learn quite a bit from the differences, can you not?"

There were worse ways to idle away half an hour, Maria decided, nonchalantly taking a drink from her cup. This woman was not, Maria suspected, someone who sat down next to total strangers for no reason at all. And something about her seemed vaguely familiar... "No argument. But if you're the kind of person who stands to benefit from knowing those differences, wouldn't it be more productive - and reliable - to simply obtain the information yourself?"

"But in the process of locating that reliable information, you might learn information that the readers of the paper don't know. And sometimes, it's just as important to know what everybody else 'knows', whether or not it's actually true."

"Perhaps, but there aren't many people in that sort of position. Politicians, people with a mind towards public relations-" Maria pursed her lips critically, a few stray thoughts finally coming together. "-Vectra house, if I'm not mistaken?"

The woman smiled, extending her hand. "Ophelia Vectra, a pleasure to meet you, Miss Traydor. I see that you're not ten metres tall like in the stories, but I'll try to get over my disappointment."

"I don't breathe fire, either," Maria assured her, accepting the handshake. It was a diplomat's handshake, the kind used by people who have learned that you can't learn a damn thing from someone else's handshake - much less their character or integrity - but are curious to know if the other person is still that gullible. "And just 'Maria' is fine. It took me a minute to remember, but Cliff mentioned you."

Ophelia looked pleased as she released her grip. "Cliff Fittir? He mentioned me, did he? I quite enjoyed my dinner with him. It's rare enough that a man of his wealth would develop such principles, but it's even rarer that he would manage to use his wealth to pursue those principles in such an effective manner."

"He's definitely a rare sort of person," Maria understated. "So how did you manage to get him to put down his fork long enough to talk?"

"It wasn't easy, but in the end, he ran out food. If I'm any judge, it seems that the new Quark shares the same spirit as the old one, even if it's focus is slightly different. I was also a little surprised that you weren't part of the effort. All he would say was that you were taking a little time off to get your bearings."

Maria considered the statement carefully, even as she continued the analysis of her present situation. After all, it wasn't every day that a member of the Pangalactic Federation High Council casually struck up a conversation with you in a cafeteria, even as you were preparing to have a meeting with another member. And if the two incidents were unrelated, Maria would join Sophia's cooking classes tomorrow.

"That's more or less accurate," she finally informed the Tetrageniot. "That's not to say that I might not go back to something of that sort quite soon. But just the same, it's not good to encourage tunnel-vision, even on account of a worthy cause."

"True, true. After all, there's often more than one way to pursue a worthy cause, isn't there?"

Maria filed that statement away for future consideration. It was simply too blatant to do otherwise, even if it lacked any reference at the moment. "So are you here on business with Admiral Uodo?" she inquired politely. "Or are your affairs your own?"

"Technically, neither," Ophelia corrected with a smile. "I'm here to represent the interests of Jacob's friend."

"Yes, he mentioned something along those lines..."

"-And by a certain chance, that 'friend' just happens to be my older sister. Her ship was delayed, so she won't be arriving here until tomorrow, and she felt that you had already shown considerable flexibility thus far. Since I was already here, she asked if I could speak on her behalf."

"I see. Well, she couldn't ask for higher-placed representative, could she?"

"Our family is _always_ happy to help each other out."

"I don't doubt it," Maria agreed, inwardly adding a few variables to the mix.

As a whole, the Tetrageniot race was honourable and trustworthy, possibly more so than an equivalent sample of Earthlings. Somehow, long before they'd even made their way into space, they'd developed the notion that trying to hurt your opponent was inefficient. A much better approach was to help your friends, to the point that your opponents never became strong enough to pose a threat. And since 'friends' started with family, the end result was a system that blatantly exceeded all pre-existing definitions of nepotism, but somehow self-regulated itself. It was a kind of idealism that would have collapsed under its own weight with Earthlings, but had somehow worked flawlessly for centuries among the Tetrageniots.

As for herself personally, it wasn't that Maria actually had anything against the Tetrageniot tendency towards raging nepotism, but being told that the person who had a proposition for you was from the most powerful house in the Tetrageniot race... it upped the stakes, to put it mildly. Especially when the sister of that person, who just happened to be a member of the High Council, was expressing curiosity about what you intended to do in the near future...

"I understand there's been some controversy," Maria began, "regarding your allocation of certain rebuilding contracts."

An inquiring eyebrow, but nothing further.

"Between the accusations of nepotism and the outstanding results being delivered by those contracts," Maria elaborated. "As someone who - by your own admission - is interested in what everybody else knows, which side is winning out?"

That got a laugh out of Ophelia. "Well put. It's close, but the results are finally speaking for themselves. That, and I've brought up the topic of ousting the critics from their own homes, to give to the homeless people while they wait for their homes to be built."

Maria shook her head ruefully. "I don't suppose you can actually do that?"

"Sadly, no. But it certainly gets the point across. The majority of those critics simply have no idea how much rebuilding is still necessary, and thus no appreciation for the necessity of speed. It's easy to quote figures that say that twenty percent of the damage has already been fixed, but it's much harder to properly understand the cost of delaying the rebuilding."

"Long-term costs?"

"If by long-term, you mean 'In less than a year'," Ophelia corrected. "It's easy enough to understand that an unemployed person is an economic double-negative. Not only do they create no currency flow, they also put a drain on the existing flow. Magnify that analogy to a system-wide scale, and you have the essence of the Federation's near-future situation. Any percentage of inefficiency seen in the rebuilding process will be negligible compared to what those longer-term costs."

"That's not a viewpoint I've come across yet. Or rather, not with any hard numbers put to it."

"I know. One of my cousins owns the Allied Accounting Company, so I had him put together a priority task force to get some accurate numbers for me. I paid for it myself, which is why it hasn't been publicly released yet."

"You don't think it should be released?"

"Of course I do. But getting that kind of information quickly costs money. Almost eight hundred thousand credits, in this particular case-"

Maria restrained herself, but she had a feeling her mouth was still hanging open. She knew the Vectra house was rich, but even still...

"-so once the High Council agrees to some appropriate reimbursement, the information will become Federation property. It will be put to vote next week, but I don't foresee any complications."

"Very interesting."

"Well, it's hardly any big secret. Or at least, it won't be in a short period of time. And really, it's beneficial for everyone around. My cousin gets some good business, the Council gets some quick information, and the Federation gets fixed more effectively. I've never understood why you Earthlings get so upset at how we Tetrageniots do things."

"Well, it might have something to do with the fact that every time an Earthling tries, it fouls up completely."

"I've never understood _that_ either," Ophelia admitted. "There's nothing difficult about it. You don't even have to be nasty. You just help your friends out, and they help you out in return. Repeat as often as possible. Last I checked, we didn't have a monopoly on the strategy, so there's no reason a few Earthlings couldn't learn the trick. And if I'm any judge, you seem to have already picked up more than a few Klausian ones."

A smile. "Point."

"It's almost a pity, in a way," the older woman mused. "The very nature of Quark's operations dictate that it almost never deals with the same world twice. And since the vast majority of them became Federation members - if under different terms - it would be politically unwise for them to go out of their way to support what many consider an 'anti-Federation' organization. Which effectively makes it almost impossible for any of them to repay their gratitude. And rest assured, there IS a considerable amount of gratitude floating around."

Maria narrowed her eyes. "You make it sound like I should enlist right now."

Ophelia laughed. "You said that, not me! Quark - particularly under your leadership - accomplished a great deal of good. But what if all that had been accomplished from _within_ the Federation, instead of without?"

"If it could have been accomplished within the Federation, Quark wouldn't have been necessary in the first place. I'm not so cynical that I believe Quark was the only group of people unhappy with the situation. But I certainly didn't see any significant and effective efforts from within the Federation."

"No argument. But that was the old Federation, and certain ways had become chronically entrenched. Things are loosened up now, at least for a time. Someone with a lot of determination and ability..." Ophelia smiled enigmatically. "Well... just imagine the difference between having the Federation go out of their way to load you up with first-rate firepower for your protection, and having to divert second-class weaponry on the sly."

Maria carefully neutralized her expression. "I wouldn't know anything about that."

"Of course not," the Tetrageniot assured her with a smirk. "I'm only speculating possibilities, but I do that about a lot of things. So do a lot of the other High Council members, I'm finding. The old Council wasn't much for that, but then again, I can't recall anyone on the old Council putting out almost a million credits of their own money, just to speed up the creation of an economics report. Even Admiral Uodo, who's more soldier than politician-"

"Which was why you had him contact me," Maria interjected.

"-guilty as charged. But he didn't get his rank by mindlessly shouting 'charge', and he doesn't determine his victories by simply seeing if his side's loses were less than those of the enemy's. He's the type that can think outside the box, and is willing to speculate on possibilities."

"The reports that I've gotten on him have been largely positive," Maria allowed cautiously.

"And for good reason, trust me. And he's not atypical of the kinds of people that are finding their way into positions of power these days. In the aftermath of this Creator War... well, it's kind of situation that could easily change and define the Federation for decades to come, if not centuries. For better OR for worse."

"High stakes," Maria observed neutrally.

"Just the other day," Ophelia abruptly informed her, "the Admiral offered to bet me a thousand credits that you'd be knee-deep in something before the year was out. No telling what, but he was positive that you'd be busy."

"Oh, did he now..."

"I've looked over reports concerning many of your activities," she continued pointedly, "and I've come away quite impressed. And, I might add, I didn't bother taking the Admiral up on his bet. So when you DO decide to get busy again..." The woman's expression shifted into one that was all but unreadable. "Well, as you said before, it's important to know all your options, correct?"

If you let yourself be rattled by every single hint and insinuation, Maria knew, you wouldn't last long in the world of politics and diplomacy. There were as many different diplomatic styles as there were diplomats, but Ophelia Vectra seemed to prefer the 'Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee' approach. Maria could manage small talk as well as the next person, but the woman she was conversing with had clearly turned it into a precision tool in its own right.

So she settled for giving a simple nod in reply. "As you say... I intend to consider all my options."

As quickly as it had vanished, the Tetrageniot's approving smile reappeared. "Naturally. At any rate, it's nearly eleven o'clock, why don't we go talk with the Admiral?"

**+-+-+-+-+**

The conference room that had been chosen for the meeting contained all the usual quirks and features. Wall-sized monitor screen at the front, a long table complete with multiple semi-private workstations, and a refreshment replicator at the back.

Occupying the front seat, Admiral Uodo was tapping a few keys on his terminal, in a manner that suggested saving and closing up a document, rather than any further meaningful work. Looking up as the two women entered the room, he tapped one last key on the keyboard and dismissed the terminal from his immediate attention.

"Miss Vectra, Miss Traydor," he greeted, standing up.

"Admiral Uodo."

"Jacob."

"If I'm any judge, I've been spared the trouble of introducing the two of you," he observed candidly. "Thank-you both, for taking the time to come here and talk."

Admiral Jacob Uodo was the kind of person whose name rarely found its way into print. Despite his impressive record over his four decades of military service, he lacked the panache and charisma that gave birth to colourful headlines and famous speeches. His appearance was quite average, almost amazingly so, his sixty-plus years of age betrayed only slightly by an above-average head of hair, and a surprisingly spryness, both which could easily be explained by his fractional Velbaysian heritage. A few stress and worry lines etched his face, but nothing to suggest that he was anyone special. He was, any observer would conclude, the kind of man who earned his promotions through an absence of screw-ups, rather than any particularly noteworthy achievements.

Truth be told, when the chips were down, Admiral Uodo was an amazingly nice man. He was kind and honest, almost to a fault. He smiled both easily and kindly, and rarely bothered to raise his voice outside of combat. To borrow an old phrase, he was the kind of man who called a spade a spade.

"So," Ophelia inquired curiously. "Will this port be getting the funding they requested?"

"They will," the Admiral confirmed. "The first portion of it will be spent on the security upgrades I have specified. Once that has been completed, the second will go towards the problems they mentioned."

"Security problems?"

He smiled. "An ounce of prevention, you might say. This port wasn't originally intended to handle agricultural products. There are certain guidelines that must be followed when transporting them."

"Agricultural products?" Ophelia asked, a hint of scepticism in her voice. "Dangerous?"

He kept smiling, but his expression held a hint of something else now. "The stories that I could tell you, Ophelia."

If asked, the Admiral was ALSO the kind of man who could offer several dozen ways that an enemy could use the aforementioned spade as a lethal weapon. And if you were an enemy, he simply assumed that you were willing and able to use any and all of those ways, and planned accordingly.

Admiral Jacob Uodo was a very nice man who had a lot of good friends. He also had a lot of people towards whom he was largely indifferent. He didn't have ANY enemies. Not anymore. Three decades of assuming that his enemies were all complete and utter bastards, had seen to _that_. And in place of those enemies, awarded with a minimum of fanfare and ceremony, the Admiral had A LOT of colourful medals and ribbons.

"Heaven forbid that I argue with an expert," the Tetrageniot assured him. "But speaking of security, I've already had the chance to explain to Miss Traydor - sorry, Maria - that my sister's been delayed in her arrival. I must say, your random nullifications of diplomatic immunity certainly have their downsides."

"I'm afraid that there's no help for it," he apologized. "Not all dignitaries are as law-abiding as your house is. But it might have helped if your sister's ship didn't have so many weapons aboard."

"They're _antique_ weapons."

"But not as old as agricultural products, surely?"

"Touché."

"At any rate," the Admiral decided. "Miss Traydor didn't come all this way to listen to us discuss policy. Please, have a seat, both of you."

Only once the two women were seated, did the Admiral retake his own chair. Some traditions never quite died, especially in the military. "If I seem to be taking a roundabout route, Miss Traydor, I apologize in advance. This is actually something of a multi-faceted issue, and I would have you as informed as possible. But to begin, I sincerely appreciate your willingness to come here to talk like this."

"No rush," Maria assured him, "and just 'Maria' is quite fine. I'm quite honoured to meet you in person. The High Council has certainly done well for itself, although I'm sure a lot of criminal elements on the border sectors are breathing sighs of relief."

Once again, he wore his smile, as though he were addressing an intelligent, but inexperienced grandchild. "Thank-you, and that may well be the case. Although it's amazing where you can find 'criminal elements', I've always felt. I'm sure that you can attest to that as well."

"Touché," she acknowledged. Correction: the High Council had positively hit the jackpot with this man.

"To begin with," he began, "let me ask you a question. Can you tell me what the planets of Milokeenia, Styx, and Elicoor II have in common?"

"Well, I've visited the last two, but I'm not familiar with Milokeenia..." Maria thought back to yesterday's conversation with Dr. Esteed. "They all have OPA's, right? Creation Energy was discovered on Milokeenia, Styx has the Time Gate, and Elicoor II has the Sacred Orb."

"Correct. Would you like to know what else these three locations - as well as several other, lesser known locations - have in common?"

Maria raised an eyebrow.

"Their OPA's have all disappeared."

"Disappeared?"

Jacob nodded. "Several key components disappeared from the Milokeenia generator, and the Time Gate has stopped responding to previously effective stimuli. To the best of our knowledge, they are now nothing more than common metals and compounds. All energy signatures have completely vanished, and they may well rust and erode into nothing in due time."

"The Sacred Orb?"

"Since the orb's signature was only detectable at very close range, we haven't officially confirmed its state yet. But military vessels passing close by have reported nothing unusual, and if it _did_ still exist, it would be the only one. The rest have certainly vanished without a trace. Would you care to take a guess _when_ these disappearances occurred?"

"The same time as the Executioners disappeared?" Maria guessed.

"Yes. You indicated in your report that the Sacred Orb OPA acted as an interface device. Or more specifically, an 'Intervention Device', as they were called by the 4D inhabitants."

"That's right. I suppose it's not much of a coincidence that when the Creator attempted to delete this universe, the Intervention Devices disappeared."

"That was our hypothesis as well," Jacob agreed. "Needless to say, this has many individuals quite concerned, if only for the loss of potential knowledge it represents. But if we could set that aside for the moment-"

Maria wasn't sure how you 'set aside' something like a rash of disappearing OPA's, but she nodded in agreement. One thing for certain, this trip to Earth was already paying off in spades.

"-are you familiar with the organization known as the ILAA?"

"I'm afraid not."

"It stands for the 'Interplanetary League of Anthropologists and Archaeologists'," Ophelia supplied. "Who they are is fairly self-explanatory, I think. They oversee issues surrounding their fields of studies, and work to ensure that new prospective areas are studied both effectively and properly, and regulate conflicts between rival groups. There's also something in their charter about interacting with various educational facilities, but that's neither here nor there."

"The report you filed," Jacob continued, "was quite thorough. Needless to say, the High Council was more concerned about certain issues than others. But the ILAA, through... other means, obtained a copy of the report."

"By which he means," Ophelia supplied, "that my older sister happens to be on the ruling assembly for the ILAA. And the report they obtained was missing certain sensitive pieces of information."

A less-disciplined man than the Admiral probably would have rolled his eyes at this point. "_Yes_. At any rate, your report quite clearly described the planet of Elicoor II as possessing multiple, segregated cultures at extremely different technological levels. Furthermore, it also hinted at nearly half a dozen distinct races living on the planet. Is this true?"

Maria nodded. "Definitely. I'm afraid that circumstances didn't allow for in-depth analysis, but I can certainly attest to the variety of races and cultural segregation."

"Well, it's easy for us to take that kind of diversity for granted," Ophelia stated, "but to paraphrase the ultimate conclusion that the ILAA reached... the technology levels should have evened out, and at least half the races should have either killed each other or bred each other out. And the entire organization will attest that there isn't even ONE other planet in the known galaxy that even BEGINS to match such a situation."

"In other words, it's extremely unlikely, and they think I made it up?" Maria interpreted.

"They've raised the possibility," Ophelia admitted. "But your reputation speaks for itself, along with numerous data log that Quark provided, to say nothing of the fact that nothing else related to the whole Creator incident was particularly normal to begin with. So naturally, they want more information on it."

"At the moment," the Admiral continued, "the Elicoor system is off-limits for non-military purposes, on account of the OPA that is rumoured to reside there. Elicoor II, especially, is restricted under the Underdeveloped Planet Preservation Pact. In any event, the type of information that the ILAA desires can't be obtained from mere orbital scans."

Maria pursed her lips critically. "...Go on."

"To learn what it wishes to learn, even traditional reconnaissance missions would be inadequate for the ILAA's goals. For this, nothing less than direct contact and conversation would be required."

"Which is prohibited on multiple levels."

"Normally, yes," Ophelia jumped in. "But there is another factor at work here. Namely, between the minor and completely pardoned interference that you and your friends caused, coupled with the obscene level of interference and destruction that the Vendeeni inflicted, Elicoor II is slated to be classified as a 'Culturally Contaminated Planet'. In other words, the UP3 was violated so completely that there's no hope of fixing or bypassing the damage. Its people are aware of the existence of other worlds and cultures, and nothing we do will erase that knowledge.

"And so, a petition has been put forth by the ILAA. In a nutshell, they want permission to engage in an open fact-finding mission. They point out that the inhabitants are clearly aware of the existence of other worlds and other races. Thus, it would be little surprise to have another race from another world come down to directly converse with them."

"And this would be permitted?" Maria inquired, unable to keep a hint of scepticism from her voice.

"As long as the UP3 wasn't violated any further," Ophelia confirmed. "And let me tell you, the Federation may enforce the UP3 as a law, but the ILAA _believes_ in it. When deciding whether or not the law is being followed, they're apt to be ten times as strict as the wording of the law. But despite that, they clearly feel that this petition is workable and within any and all bounds of the UP3, in both letter and spirit. In this case, they've made a detailed proposal for how the mission would be set up.

"Put simply, only one person would go down. The person would be well schooled in all necessary disciplines, and capable of obtaining all the raw facts required. They would then relay the information to various others who could put in the time required to actually archive and analyze it further. But with only one person, any chances of further damage are minimized."

"Sounds reasonable," Maria warranted. "I assume the ILAA is capable of providing such a person."

"Of course. But I'm sure you'll agree that the majority of people who are highly schooled in the humanitarian sciences... they tend to lack training in other important areas."

"Naturally."

"So the expedition would also require other supporting people. A person capable of handling equipment operation and basic troubleshooting. A person who could assist in the implementation of customized computer programs to acquire and organize some of the data. A person who could, if the occasion required, handle security and protection duties. And of course, since this expedition requires the willing participation of the planet's inhabitants, it would be helpful if there was someone who could act as a diplomatic envoy, to help foster the local's trust."

Maria leaned back in her chair, a smirk on her face. "That sounds like a lot of extra people. That's a lot of potential for UP3 violations, especially since some of those duties would be rarely needed. It would probably be smarter to find one person who could handle all those duties, wouldn't it?"

Ophelia returned the smile. "That _would_ make more sense, wouldn't it?"

"And if you _really_ wanted to minimize any chance of further UP3 violations, it would be best if that person had already been there, wouldn't it? And if they were capable of defending themselves without using advanced weaponry, that would be a nice bonus."

"I think you understand what we getting at," the Admiral interrupted. "Put simply, Maria, you are uniquely qualified and suited for this undertaking. What we would like is for you to take the task of heading this mission. The job description would be 'Team Leader', although your duties would be quite varied. You would firstly be responsible for establishing diplomatic relations between Elicoor II and the ILAA representative. Once that was done, you would effectively be charged with ensuring that the mission proceeds as smoothly as possible. That could include a very wide range of tasks, but the ultimate goal is to facilitate the representative's attempt to gather information, in an effective, efficient, and safe manner."

Maria nodded slowly. "Who would be authorizing this mission? The Federation? Or the ILAA?"

"Officially, the Federation, but in practice, both parties will be funding the mission. The Federation will provide some funds and a selection of specialized equipment, while the ILAA will be supplying the remainder of the funds, as well as the spaceship."

"A private spacecraft?" Maria inquired sceptically.

"Between the rebuilding and the system-wide security issues of late," he informed her, "the Federation is extremely short on available spaceships right now. One of the caveats for approving this mission was that the ILAA provide its own transportation. To that end, Ophelia's sister has provided her own private ship for the purposes."

"Trust me," Ophelia assured her. "You won't have ANY complaints about the accommodations. Technically, you would be in charge of the mission, but the ILAA would be paying half your wages. I'm sure you and the representative would be up to the task of balancing things out."

"And what exactly _would_ those wages amount to?"

"We were thinking of taking the straight-forward route to the contract," she replied. "We can accept that, after the previous events, Elicoor II may be rather unwilling to entertain further visitors. But at the same time, your presence certainly provides the best chances for success. So we were thinking of paying you ten thousand credits for agreeing to make the initial attempt. Assuming that it's successful, we would then pay you on a weekly basis. An experienced field commander can make approximately nine hundred credits a week; a diplomatic envoy, eight hundred; a systems engineer, eight hundred. Which would equal twenty-five hundred credits a week, for the duration of this contract, falling under standard taxation laws and regulations."

Maria nodded slowly. There were other duties potentially involved, but those were the most likely ones to be needed. And twenty-five hundred credits per week was generous by almost any standard, let alone for a stand-alone contract. And as far as the taxation went, there was a lot to be said about leaving an honest tax trail behind you, for other people to find. Just the same, she had Opinions about people who thought that sufficient money could replace proper explanations or procedures. "The length of the contract?"

"Indefinite. Since we know very little about the planet or its people, it remains to be seen what there is to learn. You and my sister could discuss that further, once you have a better idea of how things are going."

"Fair enough," Maria allowed. "Now, taking into consideration a certain Agreement made three months ago? This is Federation business, at least partially, which means that it falls under the Freedom of Information legislation. While the business surrounding that Agreement would still be classified..."

"That doesn't mean inquiring media personnel can't start asking questions," Ophelia finished knowingly. "There isn't much that can be done about that, I'm afraid. Contrary to conspiracy theorists everywhere, the High Council is quite adamant that proper procedures be followed. And quite frankly, we _want_ the public to know that the High Council is optimistic enough to consider sponsoring research projects like this one. Your two friends... sorry, what were their names, Jacob?"

"I believe you mean Fayt Leingod and Sophia Esteed," he supplied.

"Thank-you. The earlier Agreement would still protect them fully. But as for you, Maria, you would effectively become available for questioning as soon as the contract was formally solidified. The earlier business would still be fully classified, and the various media firms will respect that if they know what's good for them. For this project, everything legally required to be made known would be disclosed in the official media notification, so you can refuse to answer any further questions, but even still..."

"Annoying," Maria agreed.

"That's not to say that we can't help a little," Ophelia offered. "The Vectra house owns considerable holdings in various legal firms, so the media is always careful to stay within legal bounds with us, as well as anyone we're working with. And of course, the Elicoor system is off-limits to non-military personnel, so they couldn't bother you there. So that wouldn't really become an issue until the contract was over with, and you were returning home again."

"I'll keep that in mind. Now, regarding the nature of the business with Elicoor II? You've said that the mission's goal is to converse with the planet's inhabitants. Which obviously requires them to _agree_ to such a thing. What if, despite my best efforts, they don't agree?"

The Tetrageniot looked amused. "You're not suggesting that we would advocate coercion, are you? On an underdeveloped planet, no less? And even if we were - which we're certainly not - you're not suggesting that we would be asking YOU of all people to take part in it?"

"I would certainly hope not," Maria agreed with a wry smile. "But that doesn't mean I don't want to know how such a turn of events would be handled."

"To hear my sister talk, the real oddities surrounding this planet are inherently cultural and sociological in nature. Which means that nothing short of consensual and open dialogue is going to explain those things, which means that anything less would be all but useless. If, despite your best efforts, the locals want no part in it, we'll simply have to accept that. You'll still perform standard orbital data scans, to obtain geological and general population information. My sister will probably do a comprehensive questioning of you, to see if you recall anything more of significance. She might even consider approaching your friends to see if they can offer any information of interest. But all of that would be a terribly poor substitute for the real thing."

"That seems reasonable enough," Maria allowed, leaning back in her chair to consider the various points that had been raised.

She could refuse, she knew. She could go right back to Klaus IV and continue her training and meditation like nothing had ever happened. But for what reason? Because she was too lazy to deal with the possibility of some pesky media attention?

This entire offer was being done openly and fairly, in accordance to everything she had advocated while leading Quark. It would let her earn some spending money. It would give her a chance to flex a range of skills, depending on how the mission proceeded, and identifying which ones would be half the fun. It would get her some favourable regards from the richest and most powerful house in the entire Tetragene system. It would give her a chance to meet with her friends on Elicoor II again.

"And I won't say that this entire proposal isn't... fascinating," she finally admitted. "On many levels. I suppose the last concern that I have is a matter of personal privacy. I can accept that this would render certain parts of our earlier Agreement null of and void, but it would also be hard to carry out this mission and keep certain other things secret."

"Such the entirety of your earlier business on the planet?" Ophelia suggested knowingly.

"Exactly."

"So far, I've deliberately avoided any mention of 'special powers' when discussing this with my sister. But if you agreed to this, it would be best to explain the full situation to her, but you needn't worry on that count. On an official level, she would honour the fact that it's classified, which would naturally extend to all reports and data she sent back to her organization. But on a more personal level..." Here, Ophelia's smile changed from her usual open one, to one more enigmatic in nature. "Well, suffice to say, the Vectra House knows all about keeping _those_ kind of secrets. An isolated symbological power would be no trouble at all, especially since it's disappeared by this point."

If there was any scepticism over the claims of her powers having disappeared, Maria couldn't pick it up. As for the second part... probably best not to ponder any further. "That's fair enough, I suppose. And I think you've addressed all my other concerns."

"So then," the Admiral inquired, "would you be amiable to the proposal?"

"When would it begin?"

"As a matter of fact," he replied, "the representative supplied by the ILAA is none other than Ophelia's sister. Her name is Odessa, and she should be arriving here tomorrow morning. And I'm certain that she would be eager to leave as soon as possible."

"Definitely," her sister confirmed.

"Which would probably be just as well," Maria decided. "Because I think that I'll take you up on your offer. And I would just as soon not sit around too long waiting for some reporter who's desperate for a story."

"Excellent," the Admiral agreed, looking surprisingly pleased. Despite his unflappable demeanour up until now, it was quite possible that he had harboured doubts about her willingness to agree. Interesting... "Ophelia, if you wish to be the one to contact your sister...?"

"Certainly," she agreed, standing up. "If you don't mind, I'll go do that right now. Maria, it's been a pleasure talking with you, and your assistance is most appreciated."

"Likewise," Maria assured her. "I'm looking forward to this."

"I'll be leaving this afternoon, so I won't be able to see you and my sister off, but I _do_ hope we run into each other again." Giving Maria a wink, "And give a little thought to what I said before."

"...I'll do that."

"Oh, and before I forget," she added, a playful smile crossing her face, "a friend of mine is a major shareholder in a company called Nylomar Industries. They've been researching new designs for compact environmental isolation suits, so if anyone wants to know how you've been getting around so easily in the Klaus system, you're welcome to tell them you've been field testing prototype designs for them and that further details are classified."

Maria's eyes narrowed, but the Tetrageniot merely gave a nod to the Admiral before smoothly departing the conference room. The door quietly slid shut behind her.

The man sighed, a mixture of amusement and weariness. "A fine individual, but she _does_ enjoy provoking people from time to time."

"You don't say..."

"She is who she is," he acknowledged. "But she was quite happy to have the chance to meet you. Whether she'll admit it or not, the business she originally had here was concluded yesterday."

"Oh really...?"

"Is that so surprising?"

Behind them, the door slid open to admit someone. Even as both individuals turned to face the newcomer, the man - military stock to judge by his uniform - coughed in embarrassment. "Oh... sorry Admiral, sir. I saw that woman leave, and I thought the room was free, sir."

"At ease, Lieutenant," the Admiral soothed. "It's quite alright. I believe this room is booked by another person quite shortly, and we're all but done here. Maria, is there any chance I could interest you in lunch?"

"Certainly, if you have the time," she agreed.

"My next appointment is also here, and not until 1300. And my wife keeps telling me that I need to stop skipping lunch."

**+-+-+-+-+**

Leaving behind the conference room, the two individuals fell into step next to one another, the Admiral's longer stride being equalled by Maria's more rapid pace. It was one of those tendencies you inadvertently developed when growing up around Klausians.

The meal hall was beginning to fill up, in accordance with the traditional noontime lunch hour, but there were still plenty of empty seats to choose from. Within a matter of minutes, both had obtained their own preferences for lunch and found a small table to put between them.

Any observer would have immediately noted that both individual's idea of 'lunch' appeared to be both limited and liquid in description. It suggested that either both individuals weren't very hungry, or that they were more interested in talking than eating.

"So," the Admiral began, stirring his tea lightly, "are you really so surprised?"

"About what?"

"That someone like Ophelia would want to meet you face-to-face? That she would go out of her way to do so?"

"It's a little unexpected," Maria admitted, taking a sip of her coffee. "I can see her doing a favour for her sister by standing in for her today. But I wasn't aware of anything I've done that's intersected with her or her house. Certainly nothing that would give reason for her to go to the trouble of reading some reports on me."

"I suggested that she do so," he informed her matter-of-factly. "I daresay the two of us have next to nothing in common, but we get along quite well. Or perhaps the lack of common ground helps ensure we take no offence with each other. Regardless, we tend to take each other's suggestions seriously."

"And the reason _you_ knew so much about me?"

"As you may be aware, I've spent the last few decades heading the Federation anti-piracy and terrorism efforts. So you'll understand that I was curious when I heard about a major 'terrorist group' from a newspaper, when no such notice had crossed my desktop previously."

That coaxed a smile from Maria. "There are times when I almost wish Quark honestly HAD done something terrible, to upset so many news brokering organizations."

"One of life's little mysteries," he agreed sagely. "At any rate, this occurred shortly after you had first taken on the reins of leadership. Upon further inquiry, you can imagine how surprised I was to learn that a prominent Klausian organization had decided to let an eighteen year-old Earthling lead it."

"It had reached the point where I was the most successful recruiter in the organization," she explained. "And I was involved with so many different aspects of Quark's operations, they finally decided that it made more sense to just put me in a position where I could properly coordinate everything."

"I see. So you believe that's a common occurrence?"

"Well, no," Maria granted. "But it's not as though I was particularly unique in Quark. I wasn't the best at diplomacy, I wasn't the best with computers, and I wasn't the best at fighting... I was simply good enough at all those areas that I could understand their specific needs and coordinate them with the needs of the others. And my particular leadership style apparently meshed well with everybody in the organization."

"Tell me, have you ever performed an analysis of Quark's performance before and after your taking command?"

"Not an exhaustive one. Quark's ranks and influence expanded rapidly after I took command, and I know that many people say I was responsible for much of that."

"You think otherwise?"

"I certainly wasn't the _only_ factor at work. Federation policies and expansion aims change over time, as do the worlds that they affect. Many of the newer Quark members were from Federation worlds, which gave them a different perspective on some things. And the whole time, all of the existing members of Quark were becoming more experienced and capable."

"So you think that your presence was simply coincidental?"

"I didn't say _that_," she corrected. "But if it was possible to narrow it down to only one factor, it would be easy to duplicate it, wouldn't it?"

"True. So, out of all those factors, which is the hardest to duplicate?"

"I... suppose that would depend on the situation," she replied, deciding to put forth a question of her own. It had been a two-day trip from Klaus IV to Earth, and she'd only spent some of that time sleeping. "What about you, Admiral? I'm at least partially aware of your own career, enough to know that your successes and victories became more and more prominent as time went on. Was there ever any magic bullet for you?"

A smile crossed the man's face, indicating that somehow, she'd said what he was waiting to hear. "No, you're quite correct. There is rarely a simple solution to a problem, and certainly never a 'magic bullet'. But just the same, when I review my successes, I can almost always pinpoint the contributing factors behind them.

"Cross-training for the people under my command, on-the-job experience, informal meetings, improved equipment, better intelligence and informants, even incarnations of the lowly suggestion box; these things have all played their part, and I've come to appreciate their respective potentials. But I have - and I say this with all due humility - never come across another person who could take over my position and double the effectiveness of those under me."

"You're not surprised by that, are you? At a certain point, the best anyone could ever hope to best you by would be a percentage point or two. And even those points would be hard-earned, I would think."

"Thank-you. But consider this prospect: a small, independent organization. All its members are highly skilled and motivated at their tasks, and work together efficiently and effectively. Any knowledgeable onlooker would likely decide that they are close to their maximum effectiveness. Perhaps there might be a percentage point or two to be gained in select areas, but nothing beyond that. And with that performance, they manage to influence... twenty-nine planets. Over a period of eight years."

Maria's eyebrows rose, but remained quiet for the moment.

"Now just suppose that the leader of this organization was replaced by a person who any onlooker would consider an inferior replacement. Someone much younger and less experienced. And under the new leader, they manage to influence... sixty-four planets. In less than two years."

Taking a small drink of his tea, he gave her an inquiring look. "Twice the output, in one-quarter the time? From an organization that was already realizing close to its maximum potential? Those 'other factors' you mentioned, can they fully explain something like that?"

He hadn't mentioned the fact that Quark's membership had almost doubled within the first year of her leadership, but that didn't do much to change the issue. Even _that_ was strange in and of itself, and all it did was multiply the 'output' by a factor of four, instead of eight.

"Suffice to say," the Admiral continued, "it's highly irregular by any standard. So surely you can't fault various people from taking an interest in the person at the middle of it all? And surely you can understand a passing curiosity in what that young woman intends to do in the future?"

"A passing curiosity?" she inquired sceptically. "Ophelia said something about you offering to bet her a thousand credits on something?"

A shrug, coupled with a ghost of a smile. "It seemed like an easy way to make a few credits. While I'm certain that you have been making the most of your martial arts training, I honestly can't see you making a career of it. Presumptuous of me, perhaps, but there you have it."

Something between a smirk and a grimace crossed Maria's face. "Is that a hunch?"

"In the military, we call it 'intuition', and I've learned to trust mine. And right now, it tells me that whoever you decide to work with next will be extremely lucky indeed."

To her surprise (and irritation), Maria actually felt her face trying to redden at the praise. "Well... I'm not one to turn down a compliment, but that doesn't mean I'm not careful about actually believing them all."

"Then perhaps you should give yourself more credit. To be frank, most people in your particular position would have turned down my initial proposal. The rest would have turned me down just earlier. Yet here YOU are, sitting comfortably across from me like this."

Maria pursed her lips critically. Rather against her expectations, she was finding herself feeling quite amiable towards Admiral Uodo, but that didn't mean she was ignorant enough to judge him on today alone. And with a little luck, perhaps her flushed face would fade when the compliments did. "You mean, 'most people' would have decided to have nothing to do with someone who actively helped approve a Certain Project twenty years ago?"

To the man's credit, he didn't flinch at the topic change, nor deny the accusation. "And under the same circumstances, I would do it again. I would be surprised if you didn't take offence to that, but it is how I feel about the matter, even after all this time."

Maria's face remained impassive. "So tell me, Admiral, how DO you justify it?"

"How? Through a lack of any better options. There was a clear danger to all humanity in the making, and it was highly unlikely that any conventional military force would be enough to make a difference. The only plausible solution put forwards was by Dr. Leingod and his group. The solution, I was told, was almost guaranteed to fail with a teenager or grown adult, but almost 100 certain to succeed with a newborn subject. The doctor provided his son as the first subject. When a second subject was required, you were presented as a suitable subject with little to lose."

"I'm aware of that much."

"I _do_ regret the circumstances that made such a decision necessary," the Admiral continued, his voice an odd mixture of sympathy and steel. "But under those circumstances, I do not regret the decision that I helped make. And you strike me as the kind of person who would rather hear an unpleasant truth than a happy lie."

"I am," she granted, finally relaxing a little. Despite her many misgivings on the topic, there was something to be said about his willingness to address the issue directly. "And you strike me as the kind of person who wouldn't have minded some inconvenience and difficulty if a better solution had presented itself."

He gave her an appraising look. "Tell me something, then. As someone who has survived dangerous situations, braved threats, and turned down many lucrative bribes, all in the name of enabling other people to choose more freely? Would you have preferred that someone else be chosen, instead of yourself?"

"That's an easy question to ask me _now_," she pointed out. "If you'd asked me back when it first manifested... you might have gotten a different answer."

"That is often the case."

"Tell me something else," she requested.

"If I am able."

"You said that back then, I was someone with little to loose. Do you know _how_ I came to be in that position? Any earlier events?"

The Admiral raised an eyebrow in surprise, but finally shook his head. "To be honest, no. I know that it was raised as a point of concern, since a complete absence of history can actually be a dangerous thing when secrecy is desired. An inquiry was made, I know, but nothing was found.

"To the best of my knowledge, the medical facility from which you were obtained had no records or documentation about you or how you came to arrive there, save for a blatantly incorrect medical diagnosis claiming that you were brain-dead, somehow permitted to remain anonymous in origin. Further inquiries were quickly abandoned before they could leave any significant tracks of their own, and orders were given to fashion you detailed records that would render any possible future discoveries invalid and obsolete."

Maria scowled, but nodded in acceptance. "I knew as much already, but I had hoped that someone had simply been exceptionally good at covering things up."

"You have not discovered anything further?"

"Nothing. About three months after I left that hospital, it was closed down under widespread charges of corruption and forgery. Which almost makes it sound like my case was actually nothing special. Almost."

"Almost," he seconded, clearly as cynical towards the issue as she was. After all, you could hide an amazing number of things behind a big scandal. "If I may ask, are you simply seeking to trace your family tree? Or for another reason...?

Because once upon a time, she'd had a feeling that her powers were meant for something special, and it had proven true. Because she still had that feeling, and her powers hadn't gone away. Because until she knew for certain, she didn't think she'd ever feel completely free to pursue her own life.

"No reason in particular," she assured him. "Just personal interest, this time."

"I see. Well, I'm sorry that I couldn't be of further help on this matter. As much as I hate to say it, I don't see anyone else knowing anything more. Furthermore, a considerable number of the people knowledgeable about the project are now dead, in the wake of the recent war. Perhaps some of the people directly involved in the project? Dr. Leingod is dead, but Dr. Esteed is still alive, I believe?"

"I've already talked with him," Maria informed him. And, because she didn't particularly feel an obligation to provide specifics to people who 'took an interest in her future plans', she added, "He couldn't tell me anything more, unfortunately."

"I see."

"It's not as important as it used to be," she added. "I've already found the most important answers, and I don't intend to lose any sleep over the smaller ones."

"That would be the prudent decision. At least, until a new source of information-" The Admiral's communicator beeped politely, cutting his agreement short. Lifting his hand to touch his communicator, he paused, raising an inquiring eyebrow towards Maria.

She nodded amiably, taking the opportunity take some generous drinks of her coffee.

Tapping his communicator lightly, the Admiral held a brief monologue with an individual on the other end. "Admiral Uodo here... Yes... Is that right?... No, I understand. Tell him I'll see him in ten minutes time... Thank-you."

"Duty calls?" Maria guessed, after he had switched his communicator off.

"It does that quite often," he agreed wearily. "My meeting for this afternoon appears to have been pushed ahead, without anyone consulting me on the matter beforehand."

"Do they ever?"

"On holidays, if I'm lucky."

Maria began the motions of rising. "And you have ten minutes to get there?"

"I'm afraid so," he agreed, also standing. "I apologize for cutting this lunch short, but..."

"Not at all. And I certainly appreciate this chance to talk to you. And I appreciate your considering me for this upcoming assignment."

"I have every confidence in your ability to see it through successfully," he assured her, extending his hand. "And an undertaking that is beneficial to all involved parties is never to be taken for granted."

Maria shook his hand without hesitation. "No argument."

"And by a certain chance," he added, "I also appreciated the chance to talk with you."

"Mutually beneficial, then."

"Absolutely," he agreed. "I won't keep you any further, but I would appreciate if you at least kept something in mind."

"Oh?"

"These are truly unique times for the galaxy at large. While initial rebuilding attempts have been progressing ahead of schedule, even the most optimistic estimates suggest that a complete recovery from the destruction could take decades. If the rest of the galaxy wasn't in a similar or worse state, the very survival of the Federation might well be in question."

"I've heard as much suggested, but never by someone like yourself."

"There is no shame in suggesting the obvious," he replied. "But I also believe that the very existence of the Federation prevented an even worse catastrophe from occurring, and will facilitate the rebuilding process now. Regardless, amidst the rebuilding, there comes a chance for change. At least, to those bold enough to seize the opportunity."

"Ophelia suggested earlier that _I_ should get involved with that," Maria bluntly informed him.

"Did she? Well, there are pros and cons to such a course of action, I suppose. There are more than a few people hostile towards both you and Quark, and you would be making yourself an easy target for their frustrations. But on the other hand, you would also have the chance to meet some potential allies."

"That's not something to consider lightly."

"It certainly isn't. Like any high-stakes gambling, the potential payoffs are high, but so are the risks. You could hardly be blamed for deciding to find a safer route."

"...Is that right?"

"Your life is your own, Maria, as is whatever path you choose. Just the same, should you ever consider pursuing your goals within the Federation itself..." Taking his hand from his pocket, he brushed a stray piece of lint from his uniform, in a fashion that couldn't help but call attention to his colourful array of ribbons. "...you could do worse than to have the backing of a well-decorated senior officer, correct?"

Maria gave him a considering look, but his expression was unreadable for the moment. "I'll remember you said that."

He smiled again, giving her an approving look. "To ask anything more would be presumptuous of me. Whatever the case, I wish you success in both the immediate and distant future. And as we say in the military - fight hard, hold firm, and make your own luck."

Maria returned the smile. "Rest assured, I certainly intend to."

**+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+**

**+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+**

Author's Ramblings:

Well, that's it for part one. Originally, it was only supposed to be two chapters, but the second was getting too long, so I cut it up to make a third chapters. Next chapter will finally bring the story to Elicoor II, which is just as well, because I DID say that Nel was the other main character for this work.

**+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+**

End Chapter 1-C

**+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+**

** End Part 1 **


	4. Part 2A

"You could at least act a little more surprised."

_"I haven't made a habit of lying to you so far, why should I start now?"_

Seated comfortably in the private communications booth, Maria scowled at the screen in front of her, in a fashion indicative of good-natured exasperation.

Displayed on it, Mirage's face smiled back serenely.

"You're not going to tell me that you knew this would happen."

_"No, I'm not. But what were _you_ expecting?"_

"That was the whole point," Maria insisted. "I _didn't_ know. It could have been anything. And you couldn't possibly have 'expected' it to be a request to head a two-person information gathering team to Elicoor II."

_"But in retrospect, it seems like a reasonable possibility."_

Maria gave up. Sometimes, the trouble with Mirage's calm and stoic demeanour was that she tended to be calm and stoic. "So, do you already know how the rest of this mission is going to proceed? Or would you prefer that I took the time to occasionally get in touch?"

As usual, Mirage didn't rise to the bait. _"Well, if you think you'll have the time. I certainly hope you won't use this as an excuse to slack off on your training."_

"Hmm... maybe I'll learn some special techniques on Elicoor II."

_"So you'll be ready for a test when you get back. And I'd better not have to hold back as much as I do now."_

"Be careful what you wish for," Maria warned teasingly, "I might just surprise you."

_"I'll look forward to that,"_ Mirage assured her. _"I'll get in touch with Cliff and tell him the news. Send a few photographs back, if you have the time."_

"I will. Take care."

_"You too."_

Tapping a button on the computer console, the communications screen blinked off in response. Withdrawing her personal data chip from the machine, Maria opened the door to the private booth, stepping back out into the organized chaos that was the Gibraltar Planetary Spaceship Port.

The passenger docks were located only a short distance away, and the brief communiqué she had received last night indicated that her ride to Elicoor II should have arrived and docked by now. She had been told to simply show up, without any further ceremony, and she intended to follow the instructions to the letter.

"Dock A-3," she mused aloud, eyeing the signs posted along the walls and hanging from the ceiling. That was the third dock from where she had just entered the 'A' wing, but two large military cruisers occupied the first two slots, blocking her view of what lay immediately beyond. It was probably too much to hope that her employer/team member happened to own a third one.

Shouldering the bag containing her belongings, she began crossing the docking area, taking care to remain within the lanes designated for foot traffic. It was only three docks down, but after you factored in the amount of space needed for each spaceship, your effective hike was your dock number, multiplied by over two hundred metres. When you thought about it further, and looked at the gradually degrading quality of the ships as you looked further down the line, it wasn't hard to imagine the closer docking spaces being given to more affluent people, and it was easier still to pity the poor bastard parked down in dock twenty-five. Needless to say, having a ship parked in the third dock clearly didn't happen by accident, even if Maria hadn't already been made aware of how wealthy and affluent the Vectra House was.

Peering past the corner of the second military vessel, the third vessel came into view, almost amusingly small compared to the two preceding it. What it lacked in size however, it made up for in style. Contrasting sharply with the chunky, gunmetal-grey exteriors of the cruisers, it was wide, sleek, and painted a luminescent white colour. Etched along the side of its teardrop nose were the words '**Taeska-Jare**', with some foreign characters below it that Maria didn't recognize. The ship's name, more than likely.

Further down were a long string of numbers, beginning with the letter 'D', which meant a Pangalactic Federation 'Diplomatic' registration. Occasionally used for military transports short on weaponry, but more commonly used by private (read: rich) owners who wanted to legally pack more shielding and speed than standard private registrations permitted. It was a promising sign, she decided, ascending the attached passenger ramp to the main entrance door.

The outer airlock was open, allowing Maria to take a few steps into the ship before being stopped by the inner airlock. Tapping the wall panel to her left, a musical chime confirmed her selection.

Several seconds later, a very feminine - almost sultry, in fact - voice responded from the integral speaker. _"May I help you?"_

"Maria Traydor," she replied. "Am I at the right address?"

An amused chuckle could be heard. _"You most certainly are. I'll be right there."_

True to promise, barely twenty seconds passed before the inner airlock door slid aside with a quiet hiss. Standing in the doorway...

At a glance, the woman was almost certainly Ophelia Vectra's sister. In fact, if she hadn't heard otherwise earlier, she might have assumed the women to be twins. From their wavy blond hair and (three) hazel eyes, to their marble-sculpted faces and frankly stunning figures, the Vectra bloodline clearly catered to the camera eye, whether dressed up or down.

Brushing a lock of hair back over one ear, the woman gave her a warm smile, gesturing for her to enter. "Miss Traydor, you're here in good time, I see. My younger sister told me a little about you, but it's a pleasure to finally meet you face to face. Vectra house, Odessa. Welcome aboard."

**+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+**

**A Question of Fate**

**A Star Ocean: TTOET fanfic by Intrasonic**

Part 2-A

'Because nothing says 'mutual respect' and 'profound thanks'

like classifying your friends as a primitive anthropology exhibit.'

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Disclaimer: 'Star Ocean: Till the End of Time' is copyrighted by Square-Enix/Tri-Ace. This work of fanfiction

is being written for enjoyment and in homage to the original work, and no profit is being made from it.

**+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+**

"...And these will be your quarters for the duration of our time working alongside one another."

Maria took the in the proffered room with a suitably impressed expression. "I think I've seen smaller houses than this."

"The _Taeska-Jare_ has two of these rooms," Odessa explained, "and I'm using the first one. As the most important - and only - dignitary aboard, you're naturally entitled to the use of the second. Please consider this room and all its amenities to be at your complete disposal for the duration of this trip. If you'd prefer to unpack your belongings now, I can give you the ship-wide tour at a later time, or...?"

By way of reply, Maria tossed her lone piece of luggage onto the bed. It was a good throw, landing square on the middle of the massive bed. "Consider myself unpacked for the time being."

Odessa smiled. "Fair enough. We have thirty minutes until our launch window, which should be enough time to briefly introduce you to the rest of the ship. If you'll just follow me..."

Despite their obvious similarities in appearance, Maria was finding absolutely no trouble identifying them as separate people. It was mostly their voices, she thought. High Council member Ophelia Vectra's voice had been crisp and casual, with just a hint of enjoyment and amusement behind it. It was the kind of voice that put you at ease if you considered her a friend, but could make you paranoid if you thought she might be an enemy.

Odessa's voice was considerably different. It was very... _smooth_, for lack of a better, non-suggestive term. It didn't appear deliberate, because she'd relayed her departure intentions to the spaceport control tower in the same tones that she'd ordered the ship's computer to unlock Maria's quarters. Just the same, by the time its individual intonations and inflections were summed up, it seemed to hint that whatever the present topic was, it was simply a prelude to something more intimate. Were Odessa Vectra a teaching professor, she would probably lecture with a long-stemmed rose for a pointer, and a baritone sax and grand piano jazz duet in the background.

In a fair and just universe, Maria strongly felt, people shouldn't be allowed to sound like that by accident.

"...the holodeck is located beyond these doors," Odessa was continuing. "It's the latest design, and built to diplomatic specifications, so feel free to indulge whenever you desire."

"Diplomatic specifications?" Maria inquired curiously.

"That would be shipbuilder code for 'Completely unmonitored and equipped with sterilization facilities'. For whatever reason, diplomats apparently tend to be an exceptionally strange and kinky group."

"You mean-"

"Don't ask and don't tell," Odessa agreed blithely. "It has the standard 'diplomatic selection' of programs installed, but I never bothered to get a listing of what _that_ entailed either. But rest assured, there's probably something in there for _everybody_."

"No doubt."

"You can get acquainted at your leisure. We've a three-day trip to Elicoor II, so I imagine that we'll become weary of each other's company before long."

Maria raised an eyebrow. "Only three days? To Elicoor II? That's a good turn of speed for a ship this size. I know some military vessels could do it in two, but..."

Odessa looked rather proud. "Excepting delays and unplanned interference, you'll have proof positive in three days. This ship has a pair of a high-output antimatter reactors, and a pair of engines that can use every drop of power they're given."

"Very nice. And it's just the two of us aboard?"

"Unless you're inclined to count the main computer AI. This ship is designed to be able to run with only one person aboard. If I was playing hostess to some dignitaries, I might consider hiring an individual or two to fully oversee ship functions while I entertain guests. But for our purposes, I expect the two of us will be more than enough. Which reminds me, I'll need to authorize you to the main computer. Otherwise you won't be able to give commands to the ship."

"I didn't know you could get ships this big, that could function properly without crew."

"Have you heard of a company called Radicore?"

"I don't think so."

"They're a shipbuilding company that specializes in luxury vessels, and this is one of their latest models. The systems are designed for peak reliability, and all major systems have extensive redundancy and fail-safes. Bottom line: It's designed for hands-off operation, and if anything goes wrong, it should be able to limp to a place where it can be fixed."

"Do I even want to know what all this cost?"

"It's not a cheap model, that's for certain. But a good friend of mine became the vice-president of the company a few years back, and gave me this ship for a gift."

"A gift..."

"Well, he's a terribly bright person, but he came from a terribly poor background. After meeting him, I was rather curious what he might be capable of, so I sponsored his education. Now that's become a successful person, he didn't want me to think that he was unappreciative. As an added bonus, he's sold six more of these ships to people whom I've entertained aboard this one."

Maria shook her head in disbelief. "Your family really _does_ do a good job of scratching each other's backs, don't you?"

Odessa looked amused. "I'm left with the impression that you've been putting that statement together before we were even introduced."

"It's a cumulative impression," Maria admitted. "Your sister all but admitted to leaking certain details to you about my first visit to Elicoor II, both she and Admiral Uodo seemed to welcome an excuse to talk with me in person, this business lets the Federation imply that things are sufficiently improved that they can sponsor research projects like this one..."

"Is that a problem?"

Maria shook her head. "Of course not, it's just... surprisingly cooperative. My own experience probably makes me a little jaded, but..."

"Well, there's two sides to every coin, correct? But you may as well add another item to your list - this is giving ME a chance to openly conduct planet-side research with an underdeveloped culture. Even in clandestine fashion, it's a terribly rare opportunity, never mind the uniqueness of Elicoor II's situation. Furthermore, even for the opportunities that _do_ arise, the need for secrecy obviously disqualifies individuals who have three eyes. Yet here I am..."

"Once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?" Maria summarized.

"To put it mildly. I have plenty of colleagues who would at least severely maim for this opportunity."

"So how did the final vote land on you, if I may ask?"

"A variety of reasons," Odessa assured her. "Not least of which is the fact that I possess my own ship. Even if they approved the project, the Federation simply doesn't have vessels to spare. Whereas I'm more than happy to donate my personal ship to the cause - provided I'm aboard, of course.

"On top of that, one of the biggest challenges will involve convincing Elicoor II to agree to this. Most researchers and scientists have a tendency towards tunnel vision in their pursuit of knowledge, believing it to be above political matters. Considering the upheaval that surrounded the last visit, I think it's safe to say that a delicate hand will be needed before Elicoor II openly welcomes any more visitors. Someone like myself, who is better versed in public relations and political matters, is less likely to inadvertently offend them."

Maria nodded in agreement. "We _did_ make quite an impression on them last time. But a lot of it was good."

"The important part will be convincing them of that. Your very presence will accomplish a great deal of that, but that doesn't mean I might not be able to help out a little. I don't know how much my sister encroached upon the topic, but she implied to me that there were certain things that you might wish to remain classified?"

A fatalistic shrug. "Your sister told me that you could be trusted to keep a secret. And to be honest, I think it's pretty much impossible for you to _not_ hear some of the stories surrounding what happened while we were there."

"I'm aware that there was some Vendeeni interference. And I know that one of the natives apparently left the planet for a period of time..."

"That's just the beginning, trust me. It's not a five minute tale, and some parts are going to sound pretty unbelievable."

Odessa took the claim as presented. "Well, my sister _did_ warn me about that, but she also said that you weren't the kind of person to spin a story. So I'm certainly looking forward to hearing this story. And if you don't mind, I'd also like to try interrogating you about the events. To see if you're able to recall any important details."

"Important details?"

"Details important to this mission, to be exact. Details that were probably the last thing on your mind at that time."

"Fair enough."

"But that can happen at a later time," Odessa assured her. "We still have twenty minutes before departure, so I'll give you a brief tour of the cargo bay, which is presently holding a selection of equipment for this mission. I understand that, once programmed with some specifics, most of it will run on automatic. So we'll be able to go about our own business while the equipment collects information."

"I've always been more of a software person than hardware," Maria admitted. "But three days should be plenty of time to make sure that it's ready to use."

"Excellent. If you'll just come with me, the cargo bay is this way..."

**+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+**

Maria hadn't been lying when she'd warned about the strangeness of her story. Despite that, throughout the process of retelling the story to Odessa over lunch, she was slowly beginning to realize exactly how much of an understatement that had been.

"...and at that point, we said our farewells to the Elicoorians and returned to the Diplo. The rest of it is nothing worth mentioning. Just us all going home and getting on with our lives."

Leaning back in her chair, Maria took a long draw from her cup of coffee - her third since the beginning of the story - and waiting for a comprehensive judgement of the story. And it would come, even if she was only one-tenth as good a judge of character as she thought. Odessa Vectra was clearly an academic, and the attention she had provided had been nothing less than intense and near-photographic in nature. Several times, the Tetrageniot had politely interrupted the flow of events, seeking clarifications on certain issues, but beyond that had done nothing but provide her complete and undivided attention.

"A computer simulation? Everything?" Odessa finally asked, because that wasn't the kind of thing you accepted without double-checking.

"A computer simulation," Maria confirmed patiently. "A giant role-playing game for the inhabitants of 4D space, really."

"And in the end, this Creator individual - Luther - attempted to delete everything?"

"He claimed to be doing just that. And for an instant, I know I almost felt... disassociated from myself. I'm not really sure what to describe it as... maybe an out-of-body experience? I remember desperately trying to BELIEVE that I existed... and suddenly, I was normal again. Sitting in a grass field on Elicoor II, along with the others."

Odessa shook her head doubtfully. "That sounds like a situation that could give an atheist both a crisis and vindication of faith. Not that I'm doubting you, but... you're quite positive about all this?"

"It's not that it couldn't somehow be a giant hoax, but at a certain point, it would almost be harder to create the hoax than the real thing. So yes, I'm quite positive. Not _happy_, but positive."

"That... doesn't make much sense," Odessa admitted. "Logically, I mean. Simply the idea of our existence, including our computers, being a computer program..."

"Don't think I'm not aware of that. Computers are one my greatest strengths, especially in the areas of low-level programming and data management. And like I told you earlier, I was the person who programmed the Eternal Sphere system to consider us as 'characters' for the game. And I've spent the last three months meditating on everything I experienced..." Maria cut short her diatribe, before she started to rant. "I still don't understand it all. But that doesn't stop it from having happened."

"As you say. So naturally, this entire story is more or less completely classified?"

"Your sister said that your organization obtained a copy of these events earlier, except with all the sensitive information let out. Basically, anything not in that copy is probably classified."

"Fair enough. Don't think I won't ask you about certain things later on, but... for now, let's move on to more productive topics. As you may or may not have been told, the primary goal of this mission will be to collect raw information and relay it back to a collection of other experts in various fields, who will then go to the trouble of doing in-depth analysis. Not to say that I won't be doing my own share of such things, but my main goal is to provide information for my colleagues to work with. Which means that I'm in a position to control exactly what information is passed along."

"That's a good thing," Maria agreed cautiously. "What about me? Aside from trying to set up things, and making sure the equipment operates properly?"

"That remains to be seen. No offence, but you simply don't have the training to properly identify and obtain a great deal of the information required. Furthermore, I'll need you available for anything unexpected that crops up - which could involve anything, to be honest."

"Fair enough. What about my first goal? If we're going to convince Elicoor II to go along with this, we're going to have to be able to offer something in return. Obviously, complete blueprints for a working spaceship aren't an option."

Odessa smiled. "Obviously. It remains to be seen what they want, I suppose."

"But what can we offer? My understanding of the UP3 basically amounts to 'don't get involved in the first place'. Beyond that..." Maria shrugged. "I'm sure you understand it better than I do."

"Naturally." Taking a sip of her own drink - some sort of clear wine - Odessa took on a lecturing tone. "To begin, the overall intent of the UP3 is to avoid disrupting the state and development of underdeveloped cultures. There are several major schools of thought surrounding the specifics, but they all agree that a complete lack of contact is the ideal approach. Beyond that generalization, the majority of the opinions agree that the two biggest sources of disruption are 1) the knowledge of the existence of other civilizations, and 2) the knowledge of radically higher technological concepts.

"In more practical terms, this amounts to letting underdeveloped civilizations know that they're not alone in the universe, and giving them the means and knowledge to make very big weapons that they don't know how to handle."

Maria considered the information for a moment before replying. "That's it? I would think that there would be plenty of other ways to mess things up."

"You'd think so, wouldn't you? Odessa agreed. "But believe it or not, those are the two big ones. Even things like killing important political figures or mass-slaughtering of locals are actually secondary in overall effect."

Needless to say, THAT statement was met with more than a healthy degree of scepticism.

Which didn't go unnoticed by Odessa. "Intuitively, you would _think_ that those other things would have a profound impact on the culture, wouldn't you? But there's actually a considerable amount of research suggesting otherwise. Take the hypothetical scenario where an important political figure is killed. Pretend that he was pushing for some radical political change - suffrage or caste rights, perhaps. If this important figure is suddenly removed, does anything really change?"

Maria considered the question. "If they had enough supporters behind their cause, probably not much, I suppose. They might even become a martyr and further their cause. Or someone else will take their place before long. A lot of people say that Quark's more recent successes were because of me, but I can assure you, none of it would have happened without the rest of the organization."

"You have the general idea," Odessa approved. "Almost invariably, very little changes with the removal of a single person. Short-term upheaval, yes. Long-term changes, no. If they were advocating for or against a certain change, it will either happen or it won't. People like to attribute major events to highly visible figureheads, but when you really start _studying_ things, that's all they are - figureheads for something a lot of other people are supporting. At worst, the progression of events might be delayed a few years. Despite our romantic notions of individuals single-handedly changing the world, the vast majority of figureheads are simply people who - by accident or design - are simply getting credit for what a large group of people are collectively doing."

"I can accept that," Maria agreed, "but what about the second scenario? The mass-slaughter scenario? Because the planet we're visiting had one of those recently, courtesy of a Vendeeni battleship. You're telling me that it didn't actually affect the planet very much?"

"That incident was mentioned in the general report, I know. In the middle of a massive battle, the Vendeeni showed up and indiscriminately opened fire on the soldiers for several minutes before... being stopped by unknown means, presumably linked to the Elicoorian's symbological weaponry. But in actuality, by your friend Fayt Leingod, according to the uncensored version you just finished relating to me."

"That's right."

"Let me put this question to you: The changes that happened, what _really_ caused them? Was it the death of a few thousand soldiers in the middle of a giant battle? Or was it the appearance of a new player in the game?"

"I... I'm not sure," Maria admitted. "I didn't arrive until a short time after it happened. I _do_ know that when the two sides had their peace talk, both sides seemed extremely concerned with the fact that the Vendeeni were after the Sacred Orb. Their willingness to get along seemed a little strange, but I didn't feel like questioning good fortune at the time."

"Which leans towards my point," Odessa suggested. "I'd be willing to bet that far more soldiers were killed by other soldiers than by that five-minute disruptor barrage. But knowing that those last few soldiers were killed by an unknown 'Someone Else', THAT is the kind of thing that will radically change how a planet thinks."

Maria drained her cup of coffee before replying. "Okay, I'll accept that thesis for now. So, as far as our mission is concerned, they know about other civilizations at this point, but we still have to make sure they don't get any... 'Radically higher technological concepts', you called them?"

"That's right, although admittedly, it's a bit of a grey area. Obviously, teaching this planet about Creation energy or genetic cloning is a big negative. On the other hand, it's possible that small, mostly insignificant items might be permitted. But by the same token, their insignificance reduces their value as bargaining chips. When we're making our offerings, I would probably suggest that the whole topic of 'Technology' be kept off the table until we have a better understanding of what they know and don't know."

"Which leaves us with...?"

"Hard currency," Odessa informed her matter-of-factly. "Money, for starters. Your report didn't say, but I'm willing to bet the planet uses physical currency, likely involving rare metals such as gold and silver."

"That's right."

"This ship's replication facilities can certainly replicate quantities of such things, although we can't afford to give so much that we devalue their existing currency. Raw materials are another good possibility. If they've already discovered a particular material, we can probably provide them with more of it. I'm willing to bet that things like higher-grade iron and steel compounds would be valuable. Without widespread electricity, refined aluminium ore is probably very expensive for them as well."

"What about... less-raw materials?" Maria suggested. "Could we provide fabricated tools made out of that steel?"

"Maybe, maybe not. There's a fine line between a sword and a chef's knife, you understand, and we wouldn't want to imply anything undesirable. But it's not impossible, considered on a case-by-case basis. My colleagues and myself anticipated this issue, and we've put together a more widespread list of likely possibilities. You can look it over at your leisure, but what's important for the moment is that you understand the general ideas behind the underlying restrictions that the UP3 imposes."

"I think so."

"We'll have plenty of time to review our options over the next couple of days," Odessa assured her. "But if you remember what I said earlier, about questioning you over some more obscure details?"

"You want to try that now?"

"If you don't mind."

"Go ahead."

Odessa expression was that of someone reviewing a mental checklist. "To start, your report states that there were two main continents on this planet of Elicoor II? Called Gaitt and Greeton? You spent the entirety of your time on the continent of Gaitt, which is composed of three nations? The Kingdoms of Aquaria and Airyglyph, and another region called the Sanmite Republic? All true?"

"That's right. Most of my contact was with Aquaria. I was in Airyglyph only briefly, and the I only saw the Sanmite Republic is passing."

"Then we'll concentrate on the Kingdom of Aquaria first..."

**+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+**

"...can you recall any other examples of oaths or cursing by the natives?"

Maria shook her head.

"No expletives involving what sounded like names or groups?"

Once again, Maria shook her head. "Should I have?"

Odessa shrugged. "Based on what you've told me... I think so."

"You're expecting to find something?" Maria guessed. If there was any doubt in mind about Odessa's academic credentials, the last three hours had steadily diminished it. The woman had exhaustively quizzed her on her entire time spent on-planet, right now the most inane, inconsequential details. Things like evidence of taxation, relative geography, food preparation methods, architectural states and styles, clothing preferences, varieties of curse words...

"You could say that," Odessa agreed. "The initial report stated that the Kingdom of Aquaria was a theocracy. Unfortunately, I simply don't see it myself. You can't recall any obviously ceremonial clothing or jewellery, special customs, proprietary foods, deities invoked while swearing, significant moral restrictions... This 'Church of Apris' seems to be the most laid-back religion I've heard of in quite some time. In fact, there are some schools of thought that would say that any religion that has so little visible impact can't even be considered a true religion. And there's nothing else that you can recall to suggest otherwise?"

Maria shook her head. "I'm afraid not. I did mention the giant chapel they have constructed in their capital city? Integrated with their castle? And the separate Shrine of Kadden?"

"But you never witnessed any ceremonies actually taking place in either location?"

"I'm afraid not."

Odessa sighed. "Well, nothing for it, I'm afraid. That line of thought will have to wait until later. And it may have company, because it's not the only thing that I'm finding strange about this Kingdom. The next thing is the war that was taking place. You're absolutely positive that it was a full-blown war?"

"As opposed to...?"

"A border skirmish? A friendly competition that got out of hand?"

Maria gave her an incredulous look.

"Well?"

Maria's mind wandered back to the first time she had crossed the Arias plains, scarcely a week after the massive battle that had raged across it. It hadn't been pleasant, not by a long shot. Maria's life had acquainted her well with the prospects of war and death, but... 'Sea of Bodies' was supposed to be a metaphor, not a literal description... "Positive," she finally replied. "VERY positive."

"Well, it doesn't _sound_ like a war," was Odessa's judgment. "Far too many things don't match up. To start, if we look at this map-" Here, Odessa gestured to a crude topographical printout of the continent of Gaitt, apparently obtained several decades ago from a brief orbital survey that hadn't bothered investigating further. Roughly scrawled in various locations were Maria's best approximations of various town and city locations. "_This_ is Airyglyph's territory, and _this_ is the place you said their air dragons flew to later on for that peace meeting - the Mosel Ruins - correct? If those air dragons can reach that far, it should be child's play for them to have hit some of the other cities. Yet according to your descriptions, not only was there no evidence of such a thing, the people didn't even seem nervous about such a possibility?"

Maria frowned. "You... have a point, but I'm not really sure what else to tell you. Those are all the facts that I'm aware of."

"And all together, they add up to an incomplete picture," Odessa agreed. "Everything else about their military capabilities suggests well-developed tactics and skills on both sides. And you say that both sides had some skilled individuals in charge of their militaries, correct? There has to be a reason for such a tactical oversight. You encountered all of Airyglyph's generals, correct? Did they seem... timid? The type to stay at home while their men went into battle?"

"Definitely not," Maria assured her. "One of them was Albel, remember? The one who went with us to talk with Crosell?"

Odessa nodded. "Ah, yes, of course. Although it certainly didn't end up as a 'talk', you also said. So he was definitely the sort of general who actually follows his soldiers into battle?"

"Definitely." Maria thought back to the brief time the man had been with them. Whatever the man's other faults might be, no one could ever call Albel Nox a coward. Not twice, anyway. "In fact, I think that his soldiers would have to hurry if they didn't want to be left behind."

"Is that so? So their choice of military tactics is another thing to be investigated in detail, I suppose."

"Another item on a big list?"

"Believe it. But I'm a persistent person. And _you_ are a very patient person, I might add. Why don't you take a break from my questioning, and... do whatever you do to relax?"

Maria nodded. "I think I'll take a look at the equipment, actually. If only to get an idea of what I have to work with. If you want to ask more questions, don't hesitate to ask. I'm used to working strange hours, and I'm a bit of a workaholic."

Odessa looked amused. "We'll see how long you can hold that title around me. But on the topic of strange hours, you should probably know that Tetrageniot circadian cycles tend to average about forty-five standard hours in length. So our respective sleeping patterns are probably not going to match up very well."

Maria digested the information. "I hadn't realized that. How do you split your day up, then?"

"About twelve to fourteen hours of sustained sleep, the rest awake and active. Elicoor II's day is approximately twenty-four and a half standard hours in length, so you shouldn't have too much trouble adapting to it. I suspect that I'll just work on a forty-nine hour day, which will translate to me sleeping every second day."

"And you'll work the rest of the time?"

Odessa smirked. "As I said earlier, we shall see how long your 'workaholic' title lasts around myself. Furthermore, I've approximately one hundred and forty senior professors and scientists waiting with baited breath for every little morsel of information I can send their way. So I certainly won't be lacking for motivation."

"But no pressure?"

"Of course not."

**+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+**

Several hours later found Maria familiarizing herself with her new living quarters. In case she had doubted her first impressions, further examination had confirmed her suspicions: Her quarters went _beyond_ such mundane terms as 'penthouse' or 'luxury'. Part of the reason could be attributed to the possibility of having to accommodate a wide variety of different races (some with unusual physical characteristics), but that didn't lessen Maria's anticipation of diving into the deep-end of the bathtub, or sleeping in a bed that measured five meters square.

For the time being, she was content to test out the massive armchair, complete with state-of-the-art masseuse and temperature control technology. It had a wide range of settings, ranging from the lower end, which gave a casual shoulder and back rub, to the higher end, which had threatened to stimulate places not normally mentioned in polite company. She had eventually settled for level three, since she'd never before been caught in a 'compromising position', and didn't want her first to be with a piece of furniture.

Maria wasn't yet convinced that Mirage's 'masseuse meditation position' was effective, but it couldn't hurt to try it for a little longer, just in case. Another fifteen minutes, perhaps. Maybe half an hour. One hour, tops.

A beep at the door broke her from her meditative state. "Come in," she invited, not bothering to get up from the chair.

Odessa - the only other person onboard the ship - slipped into the room. "Ah, enjoying the accommodations, are you? I didn't wake you up, I hope?"

"Not at all. And I'll have you know," Maria replied, as haughtily as she could manage, "that I'm meditating right now."

"Is that so?"

"As a matter of fact, yes. My teacher was suggesting that I quit using Earthling meditation positions that involve me, quote, tying my limbs in knots, unquote. If you're going to do some heavy thinking, she says, you might as well be comfortable."

Odessa gave the matter some careful consideration. "Your teacher may have a point, you know. Personally, I'd be careful about taking ANY positioning advice from the race that invented the Kama Sutra."

"..."

"No offence towards any Earthlings present, of course," Odessa added.

"A person more paranoid than me," Maria remarked dryly, "would conclude that you've been conspiring with my teacher."

"Nonsense. Commanding officers are never paranoid, they're 'cautious'."

"Of course. Nice segue, by the way. But since you've so conveniently brought up the topic..."

Odessa shrugged at the other's tone of voice. "One of the technicalities involved in setting up this mission dictates that the Pangalactic Federation representative - that would be you - is ultimately in charge of this mission. On the other hand, I'm in the position of possessing the majority of the required knowledge and expertise to carry this mission out. All my younger sister would say was that she was confident the two of us could balance things out."

Despite the outwardly confident tone, Maria could detect a faint hint of caution in the older woman's voice. "Is that all you're worried about?" she inquired lightly. "To be honest, I've always felt that the leader's job was to ensure that those under them can do their job as effectively as possible."

"That sounds nice."

"It worked for two years," she replied. "Klausian command structures tend to be less rigid than Federation ones. The leader assumes that his or her crew is capable of doing their job properly, and doesn't try to do it for them. And in return, the crewmembers do their jobs properly, and periodically tell the leader that their jobs are being done properly. Repeat until mission accomplished."

"Oh? And how are complications handled?"

"The leader is immediately told, and reassigns the crew with new jobs - and assumes that they can do their new jobs properly."

"Interesting. So, how does that apply to our situation?"

"Our mission is to gather information about Elicoor II. I assume that you know how to gather that information, and I let you do that. Whenever there are problems, I expect you to let me know as soon as you can. I will then decide - taking input from the crew where available - how to best solve the problem. I will then assign the problem to the department best suited to handle the problem. It might be security, it might be engineering... it all depends."

"And how many of the departments are staffed by Maria Traydor?"

"Pretty much all of them," Maria admitted. "That was one of the reasons I was asked, if I recall right. One person who can cover a variety of tasks is less likely to create UP3 violations, right? Especially if she's already been to the planet before?"

"Very true."

"So I wouldn't worry too much about this mission's command hierarchy. Just let me know what you're working on, and tell me what's needed or going wrong as early as possible."

"So I report to Maria Traydor, but I've also got Maria Traydor at my disposal," Odessa interpreted.

"Pretty much."

"Well, we'll see how it works out. I've told you about the equipment, I believe? Aside from that, I'll need you for a few more questioning sessions like the one that we had this afternoon. Beyond that... I've compiled and sent off the information you've given me thus far, so with a little luck, some of my colleagues will have a few new ideas. If nothing else, they'll be able to put forward more specific questions to attempt to answer."

"Actually," Maria interjected. "I wanted to ask you something about the equipment. The multilateral sensor array that's taking up almost half the cargo bay by itself? I get the impression that you'll be using it for a variety of reasons?"

"That's right. Population distributions, geological surveys, atmospheric sampling... some more than others."

"According to the specs, the unit requires anywhere from twelve to twenty-four hours to properly recalibrate between tasks. So if you have some idea about what you'd like it to do first, I can have it ready by the time we arrive."

"Hmm... population distribution would be nice," Odessa decided. "We still don't have any accurate population numbers for this planet, much less where they're all located."

"Then I'll set the sensor array up for life form detection," Maria agreed. "But I have to warn you, I can't guarantee how accurate it will be where the other races are concerned. Some of the races that I saw in the Sanmite Republic... I couldn't guarantee all of them even have carbon-based biology."

"After reading the initial report on the planet, we anticipated such a possibility, which is why we procured the device in the first place. I was told that the sensor is accurate enough to distinguish between wildlife and sentient populations, and has the necessary programming to accommodate unusual and minority biology. Whatever the case, we'll simply do the best we can with the equipment we have."

"What other equipment so we have to work with?"

"Whatever is in the cargo bay, more or less."

"What about more portable devices? Quad Scanners? Recorders? Weaponry?"

Odessa frowned. "It was my hope that we could avoid the last."

"Mine too," Maria agreed. "But I don't think you appreciate what kind of wildlife this planet has in some places. And you're at least going to want to get some proper footage of the various regions these people call home, right?"

A grudging nod. "Granted... but is weaponry really necessary? My sister mentioned that you were trained in martial arts..."

Maria smirked. "I am, and I happen to be quite good. But punching and kicking only goes so far against a five-ton dragon breathing balls of fire at you from twenty metres in the air, you understand?"

Odessa nodded in acquiescence. "I admit that I hadn't quite looked at things that way..."

"Trust me, once it happens to you, you'll _always_ think of things that way."

"Point. Well, this ship _does_ have weaponry aboard. Most of it is antique, although there are certainly some more practical items available. I'm going to have to insist that the chemical-based weaponry not be used on the planet below, however."

"Chemical-based? You mean, firearms?"

"And related weaponry. According to your reports, the inhabitants of Elicoor II haven't developed them yet. But it would only take one bright person seeing you use one, to change that suddenly. Once they glimpse the flame coming out the front, and see you experiencing the recoil, it doesn't take much to put two and two together."

"I can understand that," Maria allowed. "Do you have energy weapons?"

"I have a few examples. Nothing military-grade, but certainly enough to handle any wildlife, even of the oversized variety. I'll show you another time, if you like."

"That should be fine. So you own some antique weaponry? I recall your sister mentioning something about your delay in reaching Earth being related to that...?"

"It was. To be exact, I have several hundred pieces of antique weaponry on board. Some of it is extremely primitive weaponry, such as swords and bows, but much of it falls under the classification of 'ranged weaponry'. And a few items are barely two hundred years old, and certainly dangerous enough. I'm careful about storing them, but when you have over five hundred items, even the nicest customs officers take a while to inspect everything."

Maria looked amused. "An antique weapons collector? I suppose I can picture you as a collector, but... of weapons? I would have expected... fossils or paintings or... something like that."

"I did my doctorate on weaponry, in fact. My thesis centred around the idea that weapon development could be more precisely categorized, and then used as an accurate indicator of a culture's true technological level. That aside, this planet seems intent on utterly defying that thesis."

"How so?"

"Suffice to say, my thesis does NOT account for a civilization instantly progressing from swords and bows, to a weapon capable of damaging a Vendeeni battleship shields."

Maria managed to - mostly - hide a smile in response to Odessa's honestly peeved expression. "I suppose it wouldn't."

"So it goes without saying," the Tetrageniot continued, "that I'm looking forward to learning more about this 'Runology' of theirs. Which is basically their own name for what we call Symbology, if the report is to be believed. Now correct me if I'm wrong - the locals can actually see symbological powers?"

"In some fashion, yes. I'm not sure about the specifics, but I remember that Nel was the one who first noticed Sophia's emerging powers. And I remember getting more than a few funny looks from some of the townspeople - more than I would have expected from my clothing alone. Even Fayt was getting some strange looks, and he was dressed in native clothing. But I honestly don't know much more than that."

"It would certainly be unique, you realize? To this day, by any known race or civilization, there is no way to accurately detect symbological fluctuations. Even the latest, most effective, state-of-the-art techniques still resort to secondary deduction and glorified trial-and-error methods. Yet these Elicoorians can simply SEE them?"

"Another item to add to the list?"

Odessa rolled her eyes, in a fashion that only a member of triclopian race could. "I'm telling you, if this planet gets any stranger, my colleagues are going to start questioning my sanity."

**+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+**

"You might be interested to know that I've received some replies back, regarding the information you've provided thus far."

Maria deliberated swallowing her mouthful of food before replying, but finally settled for raising an eyebrow inquiringly. After all, it was exceptionally good food - courtesy of the _Taeska Jare's_ food replicators - some of the finest available in the known universe, and then some. Earthling taste buds were located in the mouth, and it would probably be a minor crime to hurry the nourishment towards the stomach before maximum taste had been extracted from each mouthful.

"Most of my colleagues are of the same opinion as myself," Odessa continued, having finished her meal several minutes ago. Their first full meal together had been the source of a small amount of awe, even as Maria explained that yes, she DID normally eat this much food and coffee at each meal. This had been met with Odessa's tacit admission that she had no end of admiration for those who sought to improve themselves through the martial arts, but she had absolutely no desire to take part in anything so physically demanding that it required THAT much food to be consumed. "Which is to say, they think that either myself or this planet are absolutely crazy."

Maria finished swallowing her mouthful. "So our mission is to prove that it's the latter?"

"If I get labelled as crazy," Odessa promised, "I'll do my utmost to ensure you partake in the credit."

"So kind. Did your colleagues have anything specific to say?"

"Most certainly, and the majority of it was in the form of questions. Did you want to answer them now, or wait until you're finished your meal?"

Maria aimed her fork at the centre of the last slab of meat, spearing the entire piece in one shot. A shame to finish early, but nothing said she couldn't have a midnight snack later... "Go ahead."

"Fair enough. Many of the questions were ones that I've already asked you, but they thought up a few new ones as well. The first question pertains to the meals you ate while on the surface. What kind and were there any special ceremonies involved in eating it?"

Maria frowned, trying to recall the various instances of eating food while on the planet's surface, while buying herself more time to finish chewing her present meal. "No ceremonies," she finally offered, "that I can recall."

"What varieties of food did you eat?"

"We were constantly on the move, you understand, so there weren't any sit-down meals to speak of. Most of it was probably their version of military rations, I think. I can remember the trail biscuits... in fact, I think I might need therapy before I can forget them. They were very thick and greasy, they chewed and tasted a little better than rubber, and after you ate one, your appetite completely disappeared. And they were too dense and heavy for your stomach to bring back up again."

Apparently, to judge by Odessa's thinly disguised smile, some passion had crept into her recollection. "Is that right? But there were no special preparations before eating it? Particularly with a religious theme or bent?"

"Well, I can remember Cliff once praying to any god who would listen for something better to eat, but... no. There was also dried meat a few times, I remember. It was very..." Maria searched for a suitable adjective, "...rigid. And very salty. If you boiled it for awhile, it would soften up enough that you could manage to chew it."

"Goodness. That certainly sounds like a culinary experience in and of itself. We'll have to procure a few samples at some point."

"You won't even need to preserve them," Maria assured her. "But you were expecting some sort of ceremony?

"You might say that."

""What kind of things are you expecting, exactly?"

"There are... certain constants that tend to emerge in religions, almost without exception. Rules, beliefs, ceremonies, leadership roles... Thus far, I've seen virtually no evidence of any such things."

"Rules? You mean, be nice to each other? Don't commit murder? That sort of thing?"

"Such a masterful summary. I wouldn't go visiting any monasteries any time soon, unless you're looking to get struck by lightning on the welcome mat."

Maria had the grace to look sheepish. "I don't mean to be so blunt. I've just never really been much of a religious person, and killing a megalomaniacal bastard who claimed to be a god didn't do much to change that. But before I dig myself in any deeper, are you religious?"

Odessa shook her head. "Not at all. But you've heard the old phrase 'Any technology, sufficiently advanced, is indistinguishable from magic?'. A part of me might concede that 'Any being, sufficiently powerful and knowledgeable, is indistinguishable from a deity'."

"Maybe," Maria allowed. "But I haven't found such a being yet, and coming from _me_, that means something."

"Hmm, point. Perspective is a grand thing, is it not? I guess we'll simply have to ask them about that. But setting aside the questions about this world's religion, I was given a few other points to consider."

"Oh?"

"When you told me about the various leaders and officials? The individual named Lasselle? The grumpy one?"

"Him? What about him?"

"Well, I received a few theories about him. You had mentioned that, as far as you could see, the Queen's power was absolute?"

"Well, I certainly didn't see any evidence of any other ruling councils or bodies. And some very important decisions and agreements were made by the Queen alone."

"It was suggested that Lasselle might be their equivalent of a political watchdog, but you mentioned that he was absent for some important issues, such as that peace conference in the desert. So that theory doesn't seem to have much weight at the moment. But another possibility was brought up: Have you ever heard of the medieval tradition of the Jester or Fool?"

Maria frowned. "Isn't that... some person who wears funny clothes and makes jokes? An old-fashioned comedian?"

"Usually, yes. But there are instances of them being employed to serve a secondary purpose, that of a truth-teller. In other words, a savvy ruler might fill the position with someone who was exceptionally intelligent and well-read."

"Wouldn't that make them an advisor?"

Odessa shook her head. "I don't have to lecture you on the nuances of diplomacy, do I? Sometimes, you're forced to be polite and agreeable to people you don't like or trust, correct? Sometimes it's simply not wise to bring up embarrassing or uncomfortable questions in front of those same people, correct? But what if you had someone - who dressed and acted like a complete idiot, and made a living from jokes and nonsense - make those suggestions?"

The corners of Maria's mouth twitched upwards. "Then you wouldn't really have to apologize for them, because they were technically just doing their job. But if they made a valid point, the ruler could build on that further."

"You get the idea. But I must admit, your description of the man fits almost perfectly."

"He was dressed formally, you know. And I don't think he could make a joke to save his life."

"True, but to hear you describe him, the man seems to be a complete pessimist, and go out of his way to find fault with whatever is proposed. In other words, he's a well-established jerk, and you're therefore less offended to hear him bring up disagreeable points and topics. But if he's an intelligent man, the frequency of his disagreements doesn't make them any less valid. And once he's brought up a topic, the Queen has the option of politely telling the grumpy man to shut up, or pursuing the topic further without appeared to be rude herself."

"So you think he's a paid devil's advocate?" Maria mused thoughtfully. "That _does_ make a certain amount of sense... So while giving my proposal to the Queen, I should be addressing his concerns as well?"

"That will be your call, but it's worth considering, I would imagine. On a slightly different note, some of my colleagues expressed interest in the Elicoorian who left the planet with you?"

Maria nodded. "Her name is Nel Zelpher."

"And she was the only one who actually left the planet?"

"That's right. There were a few other Elicoorians who travelled with us - I told you about Albel Nox, earlier. There was also an older man named Adray Lasbard who was with us when we entered the physical firewall manifestation and faced down Luther, but those two never actually left the planet."

"Fair enough. So tell me a little more about the person who did, this Nel Zelpher."

A shrug. "I'm not sure what else I can tell you, that I didn't tell you the earlier story. She was a warrior from Aquaria who accidentally got involved in the middle of our fight with the Vendeeni. She was critically wounded, and her only chance for survival was through my ship's medical facilities. With the prompt attention, she made a full recovery. By the time she was eligible to return to the planet's surface, things had become very complicated. The fact that Nel felt she owed us an honour-debt for halting the war on her world, coupled with the fact that her lightning-based Symbology was ideal for stopping the Moonbase's malfunctioning security equipment... well, things effectively snowballed from there."

Odessa nodded. "And how did she react to her new environment?"

"Quite well, all things considered. There were a few rough spots at the beginning, but she adapted quickly. In retrospect, I would say that she was able to categorize the most important things, learn about them quickly, and bypass the rest."

"So easily?"

"Well, she'd already gotten her first shock back when the first Vendeeni battleship showed up, so I imagine there wasn't any more serious culture shock to worry about by that time. But you're right, she did seem to be a quick study."

"An intelligent person, this Nel Zelpher?"

"To my knowledge, she was the leader of her country's military intelligence, and she's only a few years older than I am. I would think her intelligence would rank - is something wrong?"

Odessa had visibly blanched at this point. "Intelligence?" she demanded. "You're telling me that the person who left the planet, and wandered all over modern spaceship and space station facilities was an _intelligence officer_? I thought you said she was a warrior?"

"She is," Maria agreed patiently. "It's like I told you earlier about Albel? These people seem to prefer leaders who work on the front lines. From what I understand, she was infiltrating the enemy's capital city when she first rescued Fayt and Cliff. What's wrong with that?"

The older woman actually groaned. "It's not that I have anything against this Nel Zelpher, Maria. But in the interest of keeping technological secrets from underdeveloped civilizations; given a choice of what kind of person to have exposed to such things... I can't imagine a WORSE candidate than a person whose job specifically involves extracting important information in foreign territory."

"Ah... I see." Maria resisted the urge to laugh, given the genuinely distressed expression on the other woman's face. It was probably the sort of issue that would register differently to a scientist. "I hadn't quite thought of things that way. But now that you mention it, that might be the reason she was able to operate as well as she did in the new environment."

"Yes, it probably was," Odessa agreed, a hint of resignation entering her voice. "Does this mean that, by this point, she's had three months to recall and report everything she's seen?"

Maria shrugged. "I suppose so. Do you really think she'll be able to report anything useful?"

"That's hard to say. Assuming that their technology is roughly equivalent to Earth during seventeenth century C.E. - although I'm beginning to seriously question that assumption - that puts them about one thousand years behind. Hopefully, anything that she reports will be far too advanced for anyone to make any sense out of. But you'd be surprised at the little details that can make a difference, provided the right person hears about them. Things like government styles, medical practices, scientific concepts... it can get complicated very quickly."

"If so, is there anything we can do about it?"

Odessa sighed. "At this point, obviously not."

"Then there's no sense in fretting about it, right?" Maria pointed out. "Once we arrive and investigate, we can try to determine whether there's anything to fix. Perhaps Nel didn't actually learn or see anything harmful. Or in a worst-case scenario, we might at least be able to provide some advice to make sure whatever they learned doesn't hurt them, right?"

"I know, but that doesn't mean I can't worry."

"We're on schedule to arrive tomorrow, right? I'll transport down, get a feeling for any obvious changes. If I'm lucky, I'll even run into Nel, and I can get a good idea as to what she's been up to. Beyond that, we'll handle the issue as we learn more about it."

"Is that your way of saying 'deal with the problem when it becomes serious'?"

Maria shook her head. "That's my way of saying that we'll deal with the problem once the opportunity actually presents itself. Until then, we keep asking and answering each other's questions, and ensure that we're as prepared as possible for whatever the actual situation is."

"Very reasonable," Odessa acknowledged. "I believe my sister mentioned something regarding your extensive contact with Klausians...?"

"I learned from some of the best," Maria agreed. "And I've lost count of how many times my teachers have lectured me to quit worrying about problems that can't be solved, at the expense of those that can."

"Logical enough. Shall we return to my list of questions, then? We've a great deal of material to cover before our arrival tomorrow."

"By all means."

**+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+**

**+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+**

**ELICOOR II, IN LOW ORBIT...**

"Remember, we'd much prefer if any suggestion of offering technology-related items was avoided."

"I know."

"And if you could try to ascertain any major changes _before_ talking with their queen-"

"I know."

"And since we're completely unable to detect any traces of the OPA known as the 'Sacred Orb', it may be prudent to offer a simple explanation, circumstances permitting-"

"I know."

"But keep a low profile as long as possible-"

"-Odessa."

The Tetrageniot exhaled noisily. "Sorry."

Maria gave herself one last look-over in the mirror. If there was any doubt that the ship was aboard was a non-military model, the full-length vanity mirrors in the main transporter room would have dispelled it. After all, this ship catered to a crowd that wouldn't _dream_ of appearing somewhere else with so much as a single hair out of place.

"You're certain that casual clothing will be better?"

Maria smoothed her skirt down. The medium-blue garment reaching down to her ankles, matched to her short-sleeved white blouse, was a marked difference from her metafiber-woven and composite-impregnated Quark uniform. Atop each of her shoulders, a small pearl-like broach rested innocently, looking like decorations to the average observer, but each in fact containing an extremely compact camera and microphone. One thing for certain, Odessa had pulled some favours to get some of their equipment, and she wasn't wasting any time in putting it to use.

"Six of one, half a dozen of the other," she explained. "Every single one of my earlier encounters with them was during a crisis, and had me wearing what was basically dress armour. I'm choosing to emphasize the fact that I'm here for a completely different reason - one that doesn't require any armour. I like to believe that the important people won't have much trouble identifying me in plainclothes, but I'll stand out less to casual observers at the same time."

"Fair enough," Odessa admitted.

"You're nervous," Maria observed in amusement, "aren't you?"

"I'm not nervous. Just... anxious. The Elicoorian's cooperation isn't assured yet. And if they're not interested or willing... there really isn't anything we can do about that."

"Which is why I intend to do everything in my power to convince them that this is a good thing," Maria agreed patiently. "I wouldn't have agreed to help out on this mission if I didn't think it was a viable and beneficial idea for everyone involved. So you just relax and watch while I convince them of that, and I'll contact you once I'm ready to introduce you, alright?"

"The batteries on your recorder are fully charged?"

"And I've got an extra power pack," Maria agreed patiently. "And the rest of the equipment. Just like I did five minutes ago. The equipment is rated to transmit over ten times the range we'll be using it in, so there's no reason you shouldn't get perfectly clear picture and sound up here in your ship."

"Alright," Odessa agreed, crossing over towards the transporter control panel. "I'm not trying to tell you how to do your job. But I really don't think you appreciate how momentous an occasion this is, or how important it is."

"Lucky for both of us, right?" Maria pointed out, giving her appearance an approving nod before crossing the room onto the transporter pad. "Which is why I'm just going to transport down and chat with some good friends of mine, and bring a very rare and beneficial opportunity that most underdeveloped races curious about other civilizations could only dream about. Which means that I'm going to be much more relaxed than you are."

Odessa exhaled again, but she was also smiling. "Very well, I'll quit harassing you. You and your calm attitude are bolstering my hopes far too much. Are you ready for transport?"

Maria composed herself. "Born ready. Go ahead."

Several audible beeps emitted from the console, then Maria felt the familiar disorientation and blurring of vision, indicative of the beginning of the transport sequence.

It was time to get reacquainted with some friends.

**+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+**

The spot selected for Maria to transport down onto the planet's surface had been selected ahead of time.

It was on the outskirts of Aquios, the capital city of the Kingdom of Aquaria, approximately half a kilometre from the main gates. Brief sensor scans had indicated a general absence of any lifeforms close enough to spot her transport arrival, which suited Maria just fine. The distance would allow her to reach the city quickly, while giving the appearance that she had arrived by walking. Once inside the city... she would identify her options.

Tapping her communicator, "Maria to Odessa, do you copy?"

_"You're coming through loud and clear, Maria."_

"How is the recorder working? Is the picture clear?"

_"Quite. The landscape looks much as I expected it to. Lots of agriculture, if I'm any judge. You're just south of the capital city called Aquios?"_

"That's right. I'm going to head towards the city now. If at all possible, you might want to consider saving any questions until I can properly answer them. They don't have wireless communications here, so I don't want anyone to think that I'm talking to imaginary people."

_"I'll keep that in mind."_

The main road was easy enough to locate, and Maria quickly took up a brisk stride along the right side of the path, scanning her surroundings with a degree of caution. She strongly doubted that there was any dangerous wildlife to be found, not this close to the main city. Just the same, Maria had deliberately abstained from bringing any weaponry, and being mauled to death by a stray animal would be an amazingly embarrassing way to go.

As Odessa had observed, there was a considerable expanse of farmed land to be seen in this area. In fact, if Maria was any judge... "Odessa?"

_"Yes?"_

"I'm sure there's a lot more farming activity here than there was three months ago. The wildlife around here can be dangerous, so I imagine that it's either gotten safer to farm, or they've stopped farming somewhere else."

_"Interesting. If anything, food requirements are usually lower after a war, since there are fewer mouths to feed. Furthermore, at this technological level, it's traditionally the men who farm, and they're also the ones who are most likely to die in battle. Perhaps some other growing areas were ruined during the war... I'll make a note of that for later."_

The walls around the city of Aquios were unchanged from how Maria remembered them. They still stood tall and proud, and looked solid in a way that only solid rock could. A guard could be seen on either side of the main gate, both wearing light armour and holding long pikes at their sides.

_"Interesting,"_ Odessa mused over the communicator. _"Those walls are rather short."_

"Short?" Maria muttered, sounding sceptical.

_"Compared to most other examples I could name, yes. In a siege situation, these walls could probably be scaled with reasonably little trouble."_

"You'd have to pay me a lot before I'd try scaling this wall in a battle," was Maria's opinion. "Considering that the defenders could probably electrocute or fireball any attempts. Besides, the most likely attacker would be Airyglyph, and their air dragons could just fly right over."

_"Indeed... That's an excellent point. Widespread Symbology and flying soldiers would probably render most conventional medieval tactics obsolete. Yet another area to investigate further. I must say, I'm certainly looking forward to getting a look at these air dragons for myself."_

"If you think the walls are impressive," Maria recalled, "wait until you see what's behind them."

_"Oh really?"_

"You'll see."

Earlier, Maria had deliberated asking the guards at the gates about getting a royal audience, but had finally decided that the people posted on city guard duty probably weren't the best choice. The castle had been quite accessible the last time she had arrived, it seemed more reasonable to go inside and see if she could locate the equivalent of a receptionist to help her out.

For their part, the guards seemed to have noticed her from quite some distance off. That spoke either of strong vigilance, or something else...

"A good day to you, my lady," one of them greeted her.

Interesting. "And you," Maria replied casually. Neither of the two soldiers appeared to recognize her, but the tone of voice indicated that they were according her a great deal of respect.

_"Friends of yours?"_

"I have no idea," Maria answered under her breath, once she was out of earshot of the guards.

_"Give me a moment..."_

Standing to the side of the main road, just inside the castle walls, Maria took the opportunity to take the city skyline. This was one of the largest cities on the continent of Gaitt, and certainly the most scenic. Unlike the packed-dirt roads in other towns, the main road was made entirely of stone, with something that looked like concrete filling in the gaps between the rocks. From her position, Maria could see all the way to the main gates of the castle, several kilometres away. In between, countless stores, shops, and homes were situated, all teaming with late-afternoon activity.

_"Got it,"_ Odessa's voice abruptly informed her. _"The recorder's microphone is more sensitive than your ears, and I was able to amplify the recorded background sound. After you walked away, the one guard told the other one that you were obviously an important soldier wearing plainclothes, because you had a, quote, gigantic runological signature, unquote. Looks like you were right about these Elicoorian's being able to see your powers. Some of them, at any rate."_

"Lovely," Maria muttered under her breath. "And I'm not even _doing_ anything."

_"My word!"_ Odessa exclaimed. _"This whole road is a bridge!"_

Maria smiled, even though she knew the camera wasn't angled to see it. Somehow, after spending a short time in the city, you regulated the constant sound of rushing water to a background noise. "I told you you'd be interested."

A whistle of admiration. _"You must be at least sixty metres above the water. And this bridge must be over a mile long. The water flows around the entire city?"_

"Around and through the city, actually. Is this the kind of construction you expected?"

_"Definitely not. I'll have to get some footage from other angles, but bridges of this height and length are certainly a rarity at this technological level. Although, seeing such a construction against the outer walls... the military defensive logistics would be an absolute nightmare. Take that bridge out... These people clearly aren't expecting a conventional attack against this city."_

"I can't help you there. You'll just have to ask them yourself."

Once off the bridge, the main street through the city was quite crowded, which was perhaps to be expected at this time of the day. Doubtless, the citizens were trying to finish up all their business for the day, before turning for supper hour. Maria did her best to scan the crowds - without appearing to be staring - for any familiar faces to show themselves. Unfortunately, the only person she thought she might be able to easily recognize were people like Nel or Albel, and the latter surely wouldn't be in this part of the land, while the former probably didn't spend much time wandering around the city. For their part, the crowd returned the favour, some giving her discreet glances while trying their best to appear indifferent, while the rest simply went about their business like they always did.

Without a doubt, Maria inwardly confirmed, she was back in Aquaria. A land of rugged beauty, diverse natural and artificial scenery, and a socio-political-racial makeup that Odessa claimed matched nothing else in the known galaxy. And a land of no sewage system, no electronics, and pure, sparkling, untreated water that, through some miracle, didn't bestow explosive diarrhoea upon visitors.

It wasn't that Maria was pampered and unable to function without modern technology and conveniences; she simply felt that asceticism was for people with too much time on their hands and nothing better to do. Spending any time here, without a distracting crisis looming overhead, might take some getting used to.

_"Maria,"_ Odessa inquired suddenly, _"do you know who that is in front of-"_

The inquiry was interrupted as Maria, paying too much attention scanning for redheads in the crowd, almost ran face-first into a non-redhead standing directly in her path. "I'm sorry about-"

Maria apology faded as she got a better look at the person who she had almost run-over. The woman was close to her own age - perhaps a few years older - and lightly built, but there was something steel-like behind her stance that suggested that Maria would have won second prize in a direct collision. Purple dominated her clothing, with gold buttons and trim lining her skirt and accenting her top. The silver hair, with more purple twisted through it, was the finishing clue as to her identity.

"...Clair," she greeted, the name coming to her after a moment's recollection. "You caught me by surprise."

Clair smiled back, her mannerisms bearing more than a casual resemblance to those of Mirage. "Maria, this is certainly an unexpected surprise after all this time! To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit?"

Maria laughed quietly. She had been lucky to remember Clair's name, although she was at a loss to remember much more. A good friend of Nel's... a military leader in some capacity... likely a fairly no-nonsense person, or at least, used to dealing with no-nonsense people like Nel. "That would require a very long answer, I have to admit. But I'm happy to say that it's under far more peaceful circumstances than my last visit."

If she hadn't been looking for it, Maria might have missed it - a slight untensing of Clair's body. "I'm happy to hear that. On the other hand, if you had arrived the way you had during your first visit, you could have saved me the trouble of coming down to greet you."

"I'm sorry?"

"The Queen and I were conversing up the castle balcony," Clair elaborated. "And she saw you arrive just outside the limits of the city walls."

Maria craned her neck to look at the castle, still easily more than a kilometre away, she was certain. And to see her arrive OUTSIDE of the city...? "She... must have exceptional eyesight."

"Well, for someone with Her Majesty's sight, your runological signature is difficult to miss, even at such a distance. She was positive that it looked familiar, so I came down to investigate at once."

A quiet sigh. "It's that... big, is it?"

"It's grown a great deal since we last conversed, I'm certain of that much."

Another sigh. "...Interesting," Maria finally agreed, doing what she thought was an impressive job of not spontaneously and publicly cursing Dr. Leingod and Co. to hell. "In any case, I'm happy to have run into someone important so quickly."

"I'd certainly be happy to help you in any way I can. Were you headed towards the castle?"

"I was, actually."

"Then I'll escort you there myself."

"I would be very grateful. If you don't mind my asking, how are things since I was last here?" Maria inquired, falling into step beside the Elicoorian. "A lot can happen in three months, after all."

Clair pursed her lips thoughtfully. "Since you were last here? Things have progressed quite well, really. The strange monsters that appeared earlier faded away, and things are peaceful again with Airyglyph. A great deal has happened between us, but things are looking quite promising. We've even been arranging exchanges of soldier units between our cities, to try and promote the easing of tensions. I know that a great deal more trade is going on as well, even if the specifics don't fall under my jurisdiction."

"That _does_ sound good," Maria agreed honestly. "The reason I'm asking is related to the reason I've come here today."

"Oh?"

"The short story is that I'm here to investigate the possibility of an extended peacetime visit."

That was met with a suitably impressed look. "Is that so? Have your friends come with you? Master Fayt or Master Cliff?"

"I'm afraid it's just me and another friend of mine," Maria apologized. "She hasn't arrived yet, because I wanted to go first and see how things were. Our last visit was rather... chaotic, and I wish it could have been under happier circumstances."

"Perhaps, but we're not always able to control such things. And as I said, things are quite peaceful now, and only getting better. Without the intervention of you and your friends, I believe that things would be far worse now in many respects."

"I'm glad to hear that. Speaking of friends, how is Nel doing?"

Again, it was reaction that would have gone unnoticed by someone not looking for something. As it was, Maria's straightforward diplomatic manner belied the fact that she had long since learned to expect otherwise from those she talked with. And Clair was a military leader, not a diplomatic one, and lacked the training to completely disguise her reactions.

Thus far, everything the silvette had said had come across as both unremarkable and truthful, but the mentioning of Nel brought about a faint tightening of the jaw. "She... is doing quite well. I'm afraid that she's off on a mission right now. Did you need to talk with her?"

The last sentence held a slightly hopeful note underneath, but Maria decided to ignore it, filing it away for future reference. Knowing Nel, she was probably involved in classified business of some sort. "No, that's quite fine. She's quite a hard worker, isn't she?"

"She's never been any other way, I can assure you."

"That doesn't surprise me one bit. What about you? Not that I don't appreciate your assistance, but if I'm keeping you from important business...?"

Clair waved aside her concerns. "Things _are_ busy these days, but it's a much better thing to be weary from making peace than war, is it not?"

"That's true."

Although," she added with a smile, "given the choice between doing paperwork and helping entertain a guest, I'd be delighted to accompany you to see the Queen. To judge from her expression when she saw you first arrive, I don't think she would forgive me if I delayed in seeing you escorted directly to her."

Maria returned the smile. So far, things were looking good.

**+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+**

One area that Maria was reasonably familiar with was Castle Aquaria, and it was gratifying to see that it hadn't changed much in three months. That was to say, it was still big and still made of stone and still contained a lot of water. After which point, Maria's abilities at recognizing and critiquing interior decor came to an abrupt halt. When it came to architecture, she had always been more interested in silicon than stone.

_"The water even flows through the castle,"_ Odessa was muttering, too quietly for anyone but Maria to pick up. _"I have some colleagues who are going to go into _conniptions_ when they see this architecture."_

Maria could at least appreciate that sentiment. Just like everywhere else, there was water flowing around and under the castle. Even the main hallways were lined with water channels, some parallel to the hallways, others crossing overhead, creating a flowing grid of water that sent echoes bouncing up and down the corridors in an aquatic harmony. She had never heard anything to suggest that Aquaria worshiped water, but she wouldn't have been the least bit surprised to hear it. To build such a construction, without the use of modern machinery would have been an impressive undertaking, to say the least.

Compared to the guards outside the city, the castle guards looked to be a step up in both the fashion and competency departments, and obviously had no trouble recognizing Clair as she led Maria along the wide corridors.

"And how is the Queen doing?" Maria inquired.

"Very well," Clair replied. "The war was hard for everyone, but Her Majesty is a terribly kind person at heart. It grieved her to know that her subjects were fighting and dying, even though we had no other option but to fight back. Still, she is quite overjoyed to see her country at peace again... and that certainly shows through at times."

Translation: Queen Aquaria was probably in a good mood.

"I'll have to send a letter back to let Fayt and Cliff know that things are peaceful. I know they'll be happy to hear that."

"They are doing well, I hope?"

"Better than ever. I'm only in touch with them occasionally, but they're definitely getting along well."

"I'm glad. We were all... curious as to what had become of you and the others. Nel explained to us that there were rules prohibiting you from being here, but that didn't lessen our curiosity any."

"I'm here under an exemption clause," Maria explained, answering the unasked question. "Which relies a great deal on us _not_ causing any further interference."

Clair took the explanation at face value, and if Maria was any judge, with more than a small amount of approval. "Her Majesty suspected that something interesting was afoot. I am beginning to think that she was not incorrect."

The doors to the throne room were wide open, but the throne itself was devoid of any occupants. Given the room's immense size, it made for a great deal of emptiness to contend with. That the Queen's presence could occupy the room so fully, as Maria could distinctly recall on other occasions, that spoke volumes in itself.

_"I'm willing to bet this room does double duty for social events,"_ Odessa's murmured over the communicator.

"Is this room only used by the Queen?" Maria inquired curiously. "It's very big."

"When she makes public proclamations, there can be over two hundred officials present. From time to time, there are also dances and celebrations held here."

"I see. You said that you were talking with her on the castle balcony?"

"She's waiting for us in the White Dew Garden." That sufficing for an answer, Clair ascended the throne's steps, bypassing the chair and heading towards a door in the back wall. Maria could remember where it led - the castle balcony where she had transported down to Elicoor II upon her first arrival.

The balcony was much like she remembered it, although the floral and plant arrangements were considerably more expansive than they had been three months ago. It overlooked the city proper, giving any ruler a panoramic view of the country's capital. Amidst one patch of plants, a lone woman could be seen, studying a bloom intently.

"So this is the White Dew Garden?" Maria inquired, upon coming closer and recognizing the individual.

Turning, the Queen smiled beatifically. As before, her features were almost porcelain in appearance, with complex runes contrasting sharply against the smooth skin of her forehead and forearms. Her plain white robes were considerably more informal than the fine robes and jewellery Maria remembered her wearing during the last visit, but they did nothing to diminish the air of regality about her. Her eyes were partially responsible, that much was certain. Piercing red against her pale skin, they almost appeared to have a glow all their own, yet it was without any hint of harshness or anger.

Save for her much simpler clothing, she looked virtually unchanged from the last time Maria had met her, although Clair's description certainly held true. Unless Queen Aquaria was the universe's most accomplished liar, she was in a good mood.

"Indeed it is," the Queen replied lightly, in answer to Maria's question. "This is my personal garden, which I care for myself. At this time of year, it is at its fullest."

Weaving her way around an outstretched limb, Maria gave a brief, but respectful bow at the waist. "You're looking well, Your Majesty, as is your garden. I hope I find you in good health?"

"You do indeed. This is quite a surprise, I must say, to have you visit us like this. But a welcome one, nonetheless."

"I hope so," Maria replied honestly. "As I was saying to Clair, my reasons for coming are far more peaceful than last time."

"Maria said that the reason for her arrival involved the possibility of a peacetime visitation," Clair spoke up helpfully. "Although she also mentioned that it was more complex than just that."

The Queen raised an eyebrow towards Maria. "Is that so?"

"It is," Maria confirmed. "Clair said that you were curious, but I'm sure this kingdom doesn't rule itself. If you're busy, I don't mind coming back at a more convenient time..."

The ruler looked thoughtful. "The choice is mine, you say? Then I would listen to you now, if you are willing. The rest of this day is my own, and I know of no parchment, paperwork, or plant in my domain that could possibly merit more of my interest at this moment. After all, it is not every day one has a chance to entertain visitors from other worlds. Much less a second time."

"Interesting that you should put it that way," Maria agreed. "Obviously, this world has recently been made aware of the existence of other worlds, which is at the heart of my reasons for coming here."

"Such things have been theorized and speculated upon for quite some time," the Queen commented. "Even many generations ago, during the reign of Aquaria XIX, when the noted writer Morie Tello overheard the observations of astrologists, that many of the stars in the sky appeared similar to our own sun, save for their apparent size and distance. He meditated upon this, fantasizing about each star possessing a world like our own, and eventually produced the epic work known as _'The Endless Waltz of a Thousand Lonely Worlds Through the Great Beyond'_. But that is neither here nor there, and we clearly have more definite proof in this day and age."

"Obviously," Maria agreed. "Clair didn't mention anything about how you handled that turn of events. Obviously, you two are both in a position to know the truth, but I'm not sure how many other people are aware."

"My people are quite aware," the Queen assured her. "Shortly after your departure, I made a proclamation to all my kingdom, explaining things as they were best understand. That there are other worlds besides our own, filled with people like us in many ways. Some are good, some are bad, and some of both visited our world recently. And in the end, the good visitors fought to protect us from the bad visitors, and ultimately triumphed."

"That's very... open of you. I can't imagine that everyone will take such news well."

"Perhaps. But I dream of the day that my own people may fly to the stars, and when that day finally arrives, I do not wish to be remembered as someone who withheld the truth from her own people. In any case, momentous though it may be, it does not change everyday life very much. After all, there are still crops and animals to be cared for, and there are still subjects to guide and protect. The notion may stir our imaginations, but it is important to remain grounded in reality."

Mirage and her father would have approved, Maria decided. "I'm glad to hear that. There are, unfortunately, many incidents where this sort of contact hasn't gone as well. Which is why we have regulations that normally prohibit us from even making contact in the first place. Fayt and Cliff first came here by accident, and things... progressed from there."

"And yet, here you are now?" the Queen pointed out.

"Here I am now," she agreed. "One of the reasons for avoiding contact is so that worlds like your own don't realize that there are other worlds out there. Such a thing, I've been told, can have disastrous effects. Unfortunately, the damage has already been done here, and this world is aware of other worlds."

"Do you think I should have attempted to silence such rumours instead?"

The question sounded innocent, but Maria thought she could hear a hint of challenge behind it. "To be honest, I don't really know. If you want my opinion, I think that if you can tell your people the truth, and they can accept it and get on with their lives... that's about the best possible outcome there is."

"I'm pleased you think so."

"At any rate," Maria pressed on, "in the aftermath, we gave a report to our own government on what had happened here. Aside from the obvious events, the report had a number of other details in it about this world. This world, which we know as Elicoor II, has over half a dozen different races, vastly different technology levels, and amazingly advanced knowledge about Symbology - or Runology, as you call it. Would you agree with that?"

A considering nod. "And all this was regarded as unusual, I presume?"

"Very. We have a group called ILAA, which stands for the Interplanetary League of Anthropologists and Archaeologists. They make it their business to study cultures and civilizations, both present-day and past. And according to them, there isn't one world in the known galaxy that even begins to compare to this one. Furthermore, there are numerous reasons that this world, as it is, shouldn't exist."

"Is that so?"

"And when you show a scientist something that can't or shouldn't exist, what's the first thing they want to do?"

That brought a wry smile to the Queen's face. "Learn more about it, naturally."

"And _that_," Maria concluded, "is the short, abbreviated version of why I'm here today. The ILAA is interested learning more about this world, and they put forward a proposal on how to go about doing it. Put simply, a single person would visit this world, and learn as much as possible, while interfering as little as possible."

If she'd had the Queen's curiosity earlier, she certainly had her undivided attention by this point. "And... you are that person?"

Maria looked amused. "Hardly. My job is to introduce you to that person and help explain things. If you agree, then my job will be to help her out in whatever way I can."

"If I agree?"

"This is entirely up to you," Maria stressed. "The last time you had visitors from other worlds, things became quite... chaotic. And you were effectively put in a situation where you _had_ to trust us to help you out. This time, the choice is entirely yours. If you were to decide that you didn't want to take any chances, then I would have no choice but to honour that decision. After all, the nature of the information that we desire can only be gathered face-to-face, with your consent. No amount of technology can compensate for that."

"You speak almost as though you were trying to dissuade me," the Queen observed candidly. "Yet you wish to obtain knowledge from us. What incentives would there be to consider such a proposal?"

"That could be discussed," Maria assured her. "We have strict laws that keep us from giving you higher technology, but that doesn't mean there aren't other possibilities. I've been told that different kinds of currency and material resources are options, along with some other areas of knowledge."

"I see. I think... that I would like to discuss this in greater depth. With some of my subjects on hand, to offer their own perspectives on such a matter."

"Of course."

"Clair?"

"My Queen?"

Maria had almost forgotten about the third person present, but had to admit that it didn't surprise her much. Nel had been like that at times, especially when faced with technology or situations that she didn't quite understand. In such times, she would simply go silent, diverting all her concentration towards listening and understanding her surroundings. It was probably one reason she had seemed to manage so well in the unfamiliar environments.

"If you would be so good as to alert both Lady Elena and Magistrate Lasselle? Have them meet us in my private chambers. Your continued presence is requested as well, of course."

"At once, my Queen." Clair bowed and departed at a brisk walk.

Once she had disappeared back inside the castle, the Queen turned back to Maria. "We will meet them there shortly. I regret that Nel is unable to attend, but she is presently on duty, and not available to be called back."

"That can't be helped, I suppose."

"So... it is not you that is to gather information, but another? This other individual?"

"Probably getting very impatient and wondering if I'm ever going to offer to introduce her to you," Maria replied with a smirk, hearing a pointed cough on the other end of her communication link. "As I mentioned earlier, normally we strive to make sure worlds like your own aren't made aware of other worlds. This obviously means not letting them see people who are obviously of a different race... although I have to seriously wonder if _this_ world would look twice at yet another race."

"Very true. So this individual is of a different race than you? I recall that some of your friends were of a different race than yourself and Fayt - Master Cliff and Lady Mirage, I believe their names were - although not obviously so. And this individual is of yet another race?"

"She is. And this time, I think you'll spot the difference very quickly." Tapping her communicator, "Odessa?"

_"Yes, I heard. May I come down now?"_

Maria set down a small tracking beacon on the stone floor of the balcony, a short distance from herself and the Queen. "The beacon is clear. Go ahead."

There was a few seconds of quiet, and then a shimmering pillar of light emerged next to the beacon, gradually coalescing before fading away to reveal Odessa Vectra standing.

Blinking several times as she quickly scanned her surroundings, the Tetrageniot's gaze quickly fell upon the Queen. "I believe you would be the Queen Aquaria that Maria has spoken so highly about? Odessa. Odessa Vectra. An honour - and pleasure - to make your acquaintance."

For her part, Maria finally had the chance to listen to Odessa talk to someone besides herself. Over the past three days, Maria had resigned herself to the fact that the older woman could probably sound enticing and romantic while describe 'optimum implementations of trinary logic in nanoplate-based ungated circuitry'. It didn't seem deliberate, it certainly wasn't fair, but it was definitely present, and someone like Cliff would surely have been so much putty in her hands. It wasn't as though Maria had any uncertainty about her own sexuality, but she wouldn't have been surprised to learn that an evolutionary throwback circuit in her brain was trying to trigger a 'competition' subroutine.

A very small part of Maria wondered if _she_ could learn to speak like that. It might come in handy in the future, after all. You never knew.

If the Queen heard anything amiss, she didn't let on about it, nor did she bat her own eyes at Odessa's third one. "Likewise, I assure you. You would the individual assigned to learn about this world?"

Smiling, Odessa dropped into a curtsey, before standing straight again. "Asking permission to, at any rate. Allow me to express my gratitude in advance for your willingness to entertain the idea, regardless of what your final decision might be."

"It's an intriguing prospect," the Queen admitted frankly. "An opportunity that I do not believe anyone in this land has even been offered before. I have asked several of my trusted advisors to attend, and offer their own opinions on this matter."

"Naturally. Between Maria and myself, we'll certainly do our utmost to address and answer all of your questions."

"Then may I ask the first question?"

"Of course."

"I mean no disrespect or insult, but are they real?"

"One hundred percent natural, I assure you. It's a characteristic of all members of my race, who are known as Tetrageniots, from the world of Tetragenesis."

"Most interesting. Despite many other differences and variations, I am not aware of any other race upon this world possessing a third eye, as you do."

"Most don't," Odessa admitted. "In fact, virtually every single other race in the galaxy seems to be missing one. We were never quite sure what to make of that, to be honest."

"Yes," Maria interjected dryly, "because when less than one percent of known races have three eyes, it's _obviously_ the other ninety-nine percent that are abnormal."

The representative of the last percent gave her an indignant look. "That's our story, and we're holding to it."

"I instructed my chosen subjects to meet me in my quarters," the Queen pointed out, looking as though she was hiding a smile of her own. "Would you two care to accompany me there? It is only a short distance away."

"Certainly."

"By all means."

"Maria mentioned earlier," the Queen continued, as she led them back towards the throne room, "that you are a knowledgeable person, Odessa? Might I ask in what fields you study in?"

"Most of my training is in the area of Cultural Anthropology," Odessa replied, "although I'm actually schooled in a wide variety of other areas. My breadth of training is one reason why I was the person selected to come here in person."

"And your field of specialization? I do not believe I have heard of such a study... at least, not by that name."

"Well... you have historians, I assume? People who specialize in the recording, recalling, and analysis of past events?"

"Naturally. The library within this castle is the largest on all the continent of Gaitt, and there are many who make a profession of studying from and adding to it."

"What happens when there's too much information? When a single historian couldn't possibly understand and keep track of it all, even if they spent their entire life trying?"

"They specialize. Some focus on the sciences, while others focus on literature, and still others lean towards works of a mystical persuasion. From time to time, I call upon their talents when I wish for information or perspective on issues."

"Then it wouldn't be a very far stretch to say that I'm a specialized historian. My area of interest lies in the study of different cultures, analyzing the behaviour and traits of various groups, trying to establish reliable patterns or tendencies."

"That's a very scientific approach to the matter."

"Most definitely. One way we classify our different studies is as high or low-level sciences. Lower level sciences include branches such as physics and chemistry. They tend to deal with very basic - which isn't the same thing as simple, of course - concepts and relationships, that can often be precisely expressed with concrete equations. On the opposite end of the spectrum, you get the social sciences, which deal with people, both as individuals and groups."

"Who are far less predictable," the Queen supplied, with the confidence characteristic of one who _knew_ that to be a fact. "If you could close that door behind you?"

"Exactly. But that doesn't stop us from trying," Odessa assured her, quietly shutting the door that led out to the garden. "And if Maria hasn't mentioned it already, the particular characteristics of this world took us by surprise. Hence our interest in learning more about you and your own history."

"I'm afraid that I have nothing to compare my world to, but if what you say is true, I can understand your interest."

"Not that I didn't welcome the opportunity to visit some friends," Maria added. "We didn't meet under the most ideal of circumstances, after all, and I was just a little anxious about any possible repercussions from our presence before."

"There were many repercussions," the Queen allowed, leading them up a staircase, "but I can confidently say that most were good. We cannot always choose the circumstances that we face, but we _can_ choose how we face them. My private chambers are just up those steps."

**+-+-+**

The doorway at the top of the steps was already halfway open, and the Queen didn't hesitate to open it the rest of the way. Gesturing for Maria and Odessa to enter, she closed the door after them. Already standing patiently in the room were several individuals that Maria had little trouble identifying, having met them on her first visit to this planet.

Clair was present, of course. Next to her was a violet-tressed woman dressed in a darker-shaded robe that Maria recognized at Lady Elena. Maria's earlier impressions of her had been of someone content to let the rest of the world worry about trifles like emergencies and organization, while she got on with the task of discovering new things. At the moment, the woman's expression spoke of both interest and contemplation, befitting the scientist that she was.

To Clair's other side was a severe-looking man dressed in a lightly-trimmed black habit, also easily recognized as Magistrate Lasselle. As usual, the man's expression was suggestive of both mild gastro-colonoscopic distress and a passionate desire to find fault with the rest of the universe. Maria hadn't gone out of her way to talk with him during her first visit, but he had always struck her as someone too cynical to be considered clever, but too intelligent to simply be written off as a grump.

All three individuals had exceptionally stoic and attentive looks on their faces, Maria thought. Much like employees who had been gossiping up a storm moments ago, but suddenly heard their boss approaching. The effect was somewhat ruined by their obvious looks of surprise upon seeing Odessa, who hadn't arrived until after Clair had left earlier.

"I appreciate your prompt reply," the Queen began, positioning herself so that she was able to face the rest of the room's occupants. "Elena, Lasselle, I'm sure that Clair has at least hinted at what this meeting is about, but we should be properly introduced before continuing further. I'm sure you all remember Maria from her last visit here?"

"It's nice to see you all again." Maria's friendly nod of acknowledgement was mirrored by both Clair and Elena, while she settled for a slightly suspicious nod from the third.

"And I imagine," the Queen continued, "that you're quite curious about Maria's friend. Her name is Odessa Vectra, and she is from the world of Tetragenesis. As to the reason behind her visit, she a scientist who specializes in the study of people - 'Cultural Anthropology', I believe you referred to it as? She has come on behalf of an organization that specializes in such matters, seeking to learn more about our world."

To Odessa, "These are three of my most trusted friends and servants, whom I wish to have listen while you expound upon your proposal. Lady Elena is the head of my country's Runological Research Division, and one of the most brilliant scientists on the continent of Gaitt. Magistrate Lasselle is my chief advisor in political matters, and a remarkably astute source of foresight for a ruler such as myself. Lady Clair is one of my generals, acting as my hands and voice on the field of battle."

Odessa gave each individual a gracious nod as they were acknowledged. "A pleasure to meet each of you. I appreciate your willingness to take this request so seriously, Your Majesty. Is there any particular place you wish for me to begin?"

"At the beginning, I think. For the benefit of everyone present."

"Of course." Maria cleared her throat, shifting position so that she could see all of the Elicoorians. "To begin, it's my understanding that things here are relatively stable. Especially compared to how things were before, but also in a general sense as well."

"Thanks in part to you and your friends," Clair agreed.

"Perhaps," Maria allowed, not entirely willing to give up the praise. "But I'm in a position to know that opposing parties aren't always so level-headed and willing to make peace, so the majority of the credit definitely belongs to you. At any rate, after we went our separate ways, our own government was naturally concerned about what had gone on. We have very strict laws regulating our contact with worlds such as yours, and our presence here never should have occurred in the first place. And that's not even taken into account the actions by the Vendeeni."

"You weren't even allowed to come here in the first place?" Lasselle demanded incredulously.

"We weren't," she confirmed. "Fayt and Cliff's craft was heavily damaged in an earlier fight with the Vendeeni. They managed to escape, but lost control and ended up crashing in Airyglyph. Even once that occurred, they were under strict rules to avoid contact with this world and avoid changing anything."

Left unsaid was the fact that some members of Quark hadn't exactly lost much sleep over the broken Federation regulations. "I'm sure we're all familiar with the events as they took place here, but there was naturally a full investigation conducted afterwards, to determine whether any prosecution was warranted or not."

"And was it?" the Queen asked.

"As I understand things, the situation with the Vendeeni is still ongoing. Your world wasn't the only one openly attacked, and they have A LOT to answer for. Unfortunately, I don't have to tell you how sticky political matters can be sometimes, especially when both sides have a lot of muscle behind them. As for myself and my friends, we were acquitted on all charges, on the grounds that our arrival here was unavoidable, and under the circumstances, we minimized our own impact on this world, except in its defence."

Again, a great deal was left unsaid, particularly regarding the entire business surrounding the future of their symbological powers. "In the process of that investigation, an in-depth report was compiled on our stay here. It was mostly concerned with details such as our actions and responses, but there were a number of other items that caught the interest of people like Odessa. She can probably explain them better than I can."

Odessa nodded. "The organization that I represent and help lead immediately found a number of... anomalies. When you have the opportunity to study hundreds of different civilizations and cultures, certain tendencies start to become common. It didn't take much for us to realize that your world deviates from the average in many areas."

"Such as?"

"First on the list was the documented existence of multiple races on the same world. We didn't get names for all them, but there were well over half a dozen intelligent races documented on this world."

"Over a dozen come to mind, actually," the Queen offered helpfully.

"..." Odessa was silent for a minute, her expression resembling someone who had misplaced their grocery list, but had accidentally found a winning lottery ticket instead. "...yes. Let me assure you, that's an unheard of situation elsewhere. Furthermore, the report also stated that there are two distinctly separate levels of technology existing on this world. Your own continent, which you call Gaitt, and the other, which I believe you call Greeton?"

"And apparently Greeton's technology is advanced enough that you initially thought Fayt and Cliff were from there?" Maria added.

"To be fair, we have yet to hear of such a device from Greeton," Elena acknowledged, "but under the circumstances, it was the most logical possibility. And we have documented records of other highly advanced devices from them, from centuries ago."

Odessa's expression didn't change much. "Is that so? And on top of this, there is your own advanced knowledge of Symbology to contend with. Or 'Runology', as you refer to it as. Let me assure you, that in the recorded history of all the races and worlds that we know and have access to, there has NEVER been a case of a symbological weapon that could actually damage the shields on one of our spaceships, like your 'Thunder Arrow' was able. One or two close contenders, but those examples fell short against spaceships of hundreds of years ago. So you could say that you're certainly in the lead."

The queen looked amused. "Is that so? Then it would appear that my praise for Elena's abilities has fallen quite short of the mark."

Surprisingly, Elena looked rather embarrassed. "You do me too much credit, my Queen. I headed the project, but I was hardly its sole builder or designer."

"Nevertheless..." The Queen gave Maria and Odessa another look. "And you say that it has no equal? Or is this merely among the other worlds that have not yet learned how to travel to the stars?"

"None," Odessa confirmed. "The formal study of Symbology is extremely rare to begin with, and we've certainly never seen anything to match what you've accomplished. To make the matter even more unique, the report mentioned that you have an ability - correct me if I'm wrong - to SEE symbological energies?"

"Runological fluctuations," the Queen agreed. "One of Apris' gifts to us, many centuries ago, was the gift of his Sight."

"Many centuries ago?"

"Just over seven hundred years ago, to be exact. It was bestowed upon our people at the same time that we were given the knowledge of runes. Apris bestowed it upon us, a fraction of his own all-seeing gaze."

Odessa nodded slowly. "I see... And the 'Sacred Orb', is that another gift?"

The Queen face remained impassive, but Maria couldn't help but notice faint a tensing on the faces of her three servants at the mention of the artefact. "It is, although it was bestowed upon us more recently, three hundred years and twenty years ago."

By this point, Odessa's expression had progressed to 'stunned'. "That's... a very exact date."

"We take care to maintain accurate records," Lasselle interjected. "Where you come from, do your people not bother to remember such important events?"

"Actually, you'd be amazed how many worlds loose track of such things."

"_Anyway_," Maria stressed, giving her team member a pointed look. "We've come to ask permission to learn such things, remember?"

Odessa had the grace to look a little embarrassed. "My apologies. The scientist in me is quite fascinated, but I mean no disrespect."

"No offence taken," the Queen assured her. "Among the teachings of Apris is the exhortation to pursue knowledge and truth, and it is good to see such passion in others. And I suppose that it helps underscore the reason for your coming here. You wish to stay here for a prolonged period of time, that you might learn more about our world?"

"It's a big question," Maria admitted. "Especially since our last visit here was anything but peaceful. The last time started with an accident, but this time is quite a bit different. There were some reservations about us even being here in the first place, in fact. The compromise that was worked out involved giving us permission to come here, but required that we do so as unobtrusively as possible. Which is why Odessa and I are the only two people who have come here."

"You have one of those... Celestial Ships, do you not?" Lasselle pointed out. "I should think they require many people to operate."

"Normally, you'd be right. In this instance, we've come on a special model that largely operates itself, actually. Which gives us the luxury of being able to eliminate any possibility of further interference from extra crew. The concept for the mission has Odessa assigned to the task of gathering information, while I would oversee the mission and ensure that all her jobs went as smoothly as possible."

"And how exactly would you go about gathering information?" Elena inquired.

"That would depend on the circumstances. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if you had a better idea about how we could learn most effectively. That is," Maria hastened to add, "assuming that you're interested, of course."

"Setting aside the _how_ for the moment," the Queen wanted to know, "what areas of knowledge are you most interested in? You've already expressed interest in several areas, but I assume there are others?"

"Quite a few possibilities," Odessa confirmed. "Historical data would be extremely valuable, of course. But also as important are the areas of social customs and traditions, engineering styles and techniques, military and governmental hierarchy, a proper understanding of your religion, to say nothing of learning more about your 'Runology'. Even things as mundane as culinary methods and clothing fashions might prove informative. It's really quite hard to say without investigating said areas further."

"And these areas," the Queen persisted, "they are all areas that can differ significantly from world to world? In such ways that they may assist you in understanding more about our world? Even the more mundane sounding aspects?"

"It's entirely possible, Your Majesty."

"Fascinating. While some of those areas seem inconsequential at first glance, they still represent a considerable amount of information. If I may bring up something you said earlier, Maria? You mentioned that you were prohibited from providing examples of much of your higher technology, but that other areas were permitted to serve in exchange?"

It was always good to hear the other party bring up the topic of bargaining, Maria felt. It meant they thought they might be taking you up on your offer. "That's right. Material and currency are probably perfectly acceptable for exchange purposes."

"Even if every man, woman, and child had twice as much gold," Lasselle objected, "that would only make food twice as expensive. And any worthwhile amount of mineral ore would cut into our trade with Airyglyph, which would see them obtaining less food in return. Which would lead us down a dangerous path."

"They may have other materials," Elena corrected. "Perhaps materials that both we and Airyglyph do not."

"They would not be permitted to provide such things," he reminded her. "No doubt they would consider such materials to be part of their 'higher technology'."

"The world is built of more than just gold and iron," she reminded him. "And many of those other materials are unsophisticated, but in short supply in both countries. It is worth considering, I should think."

"The rarity of the material wouldn't be an issue," Maria agreed. "Simply your pre-existing knowledge of it. After all, that _is_ the point of trade, right? To obtain things - or knowledge - that you don't have, from those who do."

"On the topic of knowledge," the Queen continued, "I believe Maria also suggested that certain types of knowledge might be permissible?"

"Certain types," Odessa agreed. "We differentiate between 'technology' and 'knowledge'. For instance, if I tell you what the weather is like where I come from, I've given you knowledge. If I teach you how to make a new device that tells what the weather is like, I've given you technology. I realize that it probably sounds like a weak distinction, but my studies have taught me that there is a huge difference in impact. There are very few many discoveries that don't have both helpful and destructive potentials, and when a group of people discover them on their own, it has a much better chance to properly learn about both."

"So it's important that _we_ discover such things," Elena clarified thoughtfully. "What of things that we inadvertently discover from your presence here? I learned a great deal from you the last time, Maria, as we attempted to teach you to harness your own particular runological powers. And it was clearly knowledge that you lacked, which would put us on equal footing."

"That would be a possibility," Maria agreed, "and stop glaring at me, Odessa, it was an emergency the last time, and she's right about us being on equal footing in that respect. But I definitely wouldn't be allowed to tell you _how_ I got my powers."

"So what you're saying," the Queen interpreted, "is that if Elena were to learn something from observing you, she would be permitted to share that knowledge with you? Does it work the other way around? If you were learn something new about us, would you be permitted to share that newfound knowledge with us?"

Odessa looked surprised, but slowly nodded. "I've already told you what sort of information I hope to gather, but you would certainly be welcome to it. Provided it doesn't invoke and violate the 'higher technology' clause, of course."

"And what about your studies? You have studied many other worlds; would you be permitted to relate stories about them? I have only my own world to learn from, but I am certain not all worlds are exactly like this one. Perhaps I might gain some perspective from hearing about others from someone who has studied them in-depth?"

"Your Majesty!" Lasselle cut in. "You cannot possibly be considering this-"

The Queen cut him off with a wave of her hand. "Of course I'm considering it, Lasselle. Whether I accept it or not is another matter entirely, but it would be foolish to simply dismiss this opportunity out of hand."

"There are other things to consider," he persisted. "The last time visitors were here, they attempted to steal the Sacred Orb-"

"-And Maria was one of the people who prevented the theft," the Queen calmly reminded him. "At the risk of her own life, no less. But Lasselle does bring up another point - it came to our understanding that you people have... methods of sensing beyond our own. Methods that enabled you - and the Vendeeni - to sense the presence of the Sacred Orb. We do not understand the specifics, but we thought it prudent to regulate the Orb's output to a lower level. It is hoped that this will make it more difficult for others to sense. Perhaps you could tell us whether or not our efforts were successful or not?"

Maria thought that some of the Federation's finest diplomats would have ranked as amateurs next to Queen Aquaria, but something about the statement managed to ring false in her ears. Perhaps it was just the negative sensor data that the _Taeska Jare_ had gathered, or perhaps it was the idea of an underdeveloped culture 'regulating the output' of an OPA, but... "That sounds like a wise course of action. And for your information, our normal sensors were unable to detect it."

"I am glad to hear that."

"That's not to say that a deliberate scan might not manage to," Maria clarified, "but no one would normally do such a thing unless they had reason to. And as far as we're concerned, the Sacred Orb doesn't officially exist. That seemed to be the best approach to keep other parties from investigating."

"I appreciate that," the Queen agreed. "But just so that you are aware, should we come to an agreement, we will have to insist that the Sacred Orb is off-limits. It is not a decision that I make lightly, but I feel that the circumstances have forced it. At this time, all individuals, be they friend or foe, are not permitted access to the Shrine of Kadden, where the orb resides. I realize this may be a hindrance to your studies, but... I'm afraid it would not be negotiable."

"That's only common sense," Odessa assured her. "And to be honest, we're not particularly interested in the Sacred Orb itself, which falls under a much different branch of science. It's the history behind it that my colleagues and myself find far more intriguing. Would that much be considered feasible?"

"The literature and history surrounding the Sacred Orb is certainly no secret," the Queen replied. "We can easily place that much on the bargaining table."

"I still think you place too much trust in them, my Queen," was Lasselle's opinion. "Lady Clair? Surely you must have some objections?"

"You _have_ been rather quiet," Elena seconded. "Is something wrong?"

Clair smiled weakly as every head turned to face her. "I'm sorry. I find this quite fascinating, but I was just thinking that I wish Nel were here to offer her own perspective."

"I had been hoping so as well," Maria admitted. "It's a shame she's on a mission right now."

"It's not a critical mission, however," the general clarified. "If she could be contacted, it would perfectly acceptable to have her return for a short period of time."

Out of the corner of her eye, Maria could see both Lasselle and Elena's eyes narrowing.

"What is it that you're suggesting, Clair?" the Queen asked, a hint of caution in her voice.

"Exactly that," Clair continued. "If we could contact her, it would be perfectly acceptable for her to return and offer her knowledge and assistance in this manner. The difficulty, of course, is in locating her. She didn't feel it necessary to set up a message relay for her mission, so we can't get a letter to her. But the sensing devices that Maria's people possess, if they could identify her location..."

There was a moment of silence between the Elicoorians, one that felt laden with a great deal of unspoken communication. While curious to see what might finally result from it, Maria finally decided to break it. There was clearly some other business going on, involving Nel, and it was clearly beyond a simple 'mission'. But she didn't think getting their hopes up would be productive in the long run. "I see what you're saying, Clair, but I'm afraid that our devices are unable to distinguish between specific individuals like that. Given some time, we could probably determine the locations of almost every person on this world. But we couldn't actually identify a single one of them, much less Nel. It's simply beyond our abilities, I'm afraid to say."

Clair sighed, perhaps more than could be attributed to the situation. "...I see. Well, I thought I might bring it up, but no harm done."

The general was, Maria decided, a poor liar by diplomatic standards. And there was clearly something else behind her suggestion, and the other Elicoorians knew it. "I'm sorry we couldn't help, and it would have been nice to have her here. Is there... something in particular you think she could help with? I can understand that you would prefer to have someone present who can verify the things we've told you. Some of them must sound quite unbelievable, I imagine."

Clair winced, shaking her head quickly. "Not at all, Maria! I didn't mean to imply that what you've told us was... that is... " She trailed off, perhaps realizing that her explanation wasn't helping matters much.

Maria easily waved her concerns aside (having been the one to suggest them in the first place). "I wasn't suggesting that you did. But my point remains - this entire discussion has to be rather sudden for all of you. You'll naturally want some time to think about it, perhaps to consult with some other people. And you'll have more questions, naturally. I hope you didn't think we were expecting a reply this very instant. We can agree to meet up again tomorrow, if you like."

"That could be risky," Elena mused aloud. "Give Lasselle a whole day to think up new objections?"

The man glared daggers at her. "And give _you_ a whole day to think up more reasons to agree?"

"Let us both do our best," the researcher agreed shamelessly.

"Hmph."

"Yes," the Queen agreed bemusedly. "I admit to being quite fascinated by this proposal. But you're also correct in that a day to further consider everything would be appreciated. Perhaps we could agree to meet tomorrow at this time?"

"That would be excellent," Odessa assured her. "We look forward to fielding many more questions from you. Until then, with your leave...?"

"Until tomorrow," the Queen granted. "I will be tending to my garden again tomorrow, you are welcome to simply arrive there directly, with your transporting device. In the meantime, there is much to discuss. And I suspect that there are many arguments-" Here, she glanced bemusedly at both Elena and Lasselle, "-from both sides to listen to."

"Luck to all of you," Maria agreed, managing to keep a straight face. Abruptly her expression grew solemn. "Actually, if you don't mind, there is one other issue that I'd like to discuss with you. Odessa and I discussed it earlier; when we were still uncertain about your state of affairs in the aftermath of our last visit. As I mentioned, the past events could have turned out much worse for everyone concerned, and we wanted to ensure that we didn't inadvertently add to any distress."

"I believe that we have weathered the chaos well, in part thanks to you. If there is a problem, I am happy to listen now."

"Thank-you. If at all possible, I would prefer if you could take this matter as being separate from our main reason for being here."

"Oh?"

"It has to do with the Sacred Orb."

The Queen raised an eyebrow, but said nothing further.

Maria took a deep breath, not even bothered to disguise it. For all the general goodwill that had been developed, this would likely strain it a great deal. Still, she had earlier decided to treat them as the friends that they were, and broaching this topic was therefore mandatory in her eyes. "To be perfectly blunt, Your Majesty... it's disappeared, hasn't it?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"The Sacred Orb," Maria elaborated, "falls into a category of objects that we call OPA's - Out-of-Place-Artefacts. Objects that have no known origin, and exceed any known technology - including our own. There are a number of them scattered throughout the known galaxy, with a wide variety of functions and characteristics. About three months ago, all at the exact same instant that we defeated the Creator, every single one of them either disappeared or went inactive, for no apparent reason. This obviously isn't something you'd be aware of - in fact, it's not even common knowledge among our people - but it's something you should probably be told regardless."

The Queen's face remained stoic, but it took her a moment to manage a response. "Is that right..."

"We don't know of any way to reverse it, and we're not entirely certain about the mechanics behind it. But if the Sacred Orb still exists here, unaltered... it would be the only one of its kind, anywhere in the known universe."

"Your Majesty..." Clair began hesitantly. Her expression however, like those of the rest of the room, was devoid of surprise over the news. Lasselle's face was tense - even by his standards - while Elena wore an expression of... curiosity? Regardless, all three were clearly intending to let their queen take the lead on this issue.

"Perhaps," the Queen finally began, "you may be able to shed some light on our situation. The gods and goddesses know that we have not been able to make any headway on our own. As you say, the Sacred Orb is indeed missing. And we suspect that Nel may know something about the reasons why, but she is... not available to us."

That was an ominous sentence if Maria had ever heard one. "Not... available? In what way?"

"Three months ago... Nel returned home victorious, declaring that our land was safe from the threat of the Creator. Two months ago... Nel went missing."

"Missing?"

"She abruptly departed, leaving no explanation behind." Here, the Queen audibly sighed, suddenly appearing to have grown a decade older in the last minute. "And despite our best efforts, we have not yet managed to find her."

**+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+**

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**Author's Notes:**

Things are finally starting to move a little. Believe it or not, the next chapter will actually have... FIGHTING! And Nel will show up! And do a lot of the fighting! Will wonders never cease?

Several reviews/emails have noted that some sections were rather difficult to read, and (having wrote them) I honestly can't say I'm surprised. At this point, according to the site stats, almost three times as many people have hit the first chapter as have hit the second. I might go back and see if I can't try and smooth them over a little, but my attempts thus far haven't been very successful. I also can't offer much hope regarding the length of the chapters, since I tend to determine my chapter dividers by plot progression, not length. With that in mind, many thanks to the readers who have spent their free time reading through everything thus far, and taken the time to leave a few words behind. I dearly enjoy writing, but as any author can probably attest, there's always that lingering curiosity to know how OTHER people find the story.

While writing this chapter, I booted up the game and did some wandering around the city of Aquaria and its castle. Talk about seeing it again for the first time. Once you consider all those bridges, the rivers, the water channels and aqueducts, the gardens, and start looking at them from an engineering perspective... damn. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon have NOTHING on this city.

On the topic of Elicoor II, some time ago, I toyed with the idea of putting together an in-depth FAQ for Elicoor II, covering such things as their history, their politics, their mythology, their technological knowledge versus Earth's, their Runology mechanics, etc. Furthermore, when you start looking closely at Elicoor II, it becomes obvious that they have a lot of things (and concepts) that weren't widespread until well after the 17th century on Earth. All very fascinating, at least to myself, and strong evidence that I have WAY too much time on my hands. The FAQ was never finished, but this story will see me borrowing some of what I put together, so maybe it won't be a complete waste of time. As many others are aware, the game designers put an amazing amount of back-story and detail into the game, even if they didn't bother to include it in the central plot.

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End Chapter 2-A


	5. Part 2B

"She abruptly departed, leaving no explanation behind. And despite our best efforts, we have not yet managed to find her."

To think, Maria reflected inwardly, that things had being going so well until this point. Still, it was her that had pressed the issue of the vanishing Sacred Orb, which had led to this new revelation, and that meant that she wasn't going to shy away from dealing with it.

Off to the side, Odessa's expression carried equal amounts both interest and doubt. While the Tetrageniot had earlier suggested bringing up the topic of the Sacred Orb's disappearance, she probably hadn't expected it to be brought up so soon, nor had she expected this additional complication involving Nel.

And to be frank, neither had Maria. "Nel... departed?" she finally repeated, seeking clarification.

"She left by night," Clair elaborated, "and none of the guards saw her leave."

"Without explanation?"

"None... that she left behind."

"Any possibilities?"

"Perhaps," Elena interjected, "we should explain in full? They will doubtlessly have a different perspective on the matter. Perhaps even one that they would be permitted to share with us?" Despite the woman's pleasant tone of voice, and earlier support of their proposal, the last sentence was also laced with a hint of challenge.

Well, Maria _liked_ challenges. "If there's something I can do to help, I'd like to," she assured them. "Why don't you start from the beginning?"

**+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+**

**A Question of Fate**

**A Star Ocean: TTEOT fanfic by Intrasonic**

**Part 2-B**

'Because nothing says 'mutual respect' and 'profound thanks'

like classifying your friends as a primitive anthropology exhibit.'

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Disclaimer: 'Star Ocean: Till the End of Time' is copyrighted by Square-Enix/Tri-Ace. This work of fanfiction

is being written for enjoyment and in homage to the original work, and no profit is being made from it.

**+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+**

"There is, unfortunately, little more to tell," the Queen admitted. "Three months ago, Nel and Adray helped you fight the being who called himself The Creator. When they returned to this world, they immediately moved to recover the Sacred Orb. Unfortunately... it was missing. The two of them spent several days searching the Mosel Ruins, but found no traces of it, nor of anyone or anything that might have taken it. It had, they determined, completely vanished without a trace.

"They finally decided that Adray would continue to search for the Sacred Orb, while Nel returned home to report this development, and possibly pursue other avenues of searching."

Maria nodded slowly, not hearing anything amiss yet.

"When she returned, she explained the matter to us as best she was able. The Creator individual was defeated, and our world was safe again, but the Sacred Orb had vanished in the process. Once this was known, I immediately set all of the scholars at my disposal to researching the Sacred Orb further, particularly regarding its origins and uses. The knowledge of the Orb's disappearance was - and still is - being kept a secret, until we better understand the reasons for it."

"Did you come up with any further information?"

"I'm afraid not, although your information will certainly bear consideration."

Maria nodded, taking the explanation at face value. "So where does Nel's disappearance fit into this?"

"When she first returned to us," the Queen explained, "she seemed unusually troubled, despite her news of victory. To those who know her well, Nel has no equal when it comes to finding and keeping others' secrets, but she is less adept at her own. It was plain to be seen that something continued to disturb her greatly, but she declined to discuss it with anyone, even those closest to her.

"She took to spending long hours in our library, researching through documents and histories, still refusing to explain to anyone what it was that she was looking for. This also seemed strange - Nel's intellect is not to be doubted, but she has never been one for scholarly pursuits."

Maria considered the prospect. "So she was upset, and she suddenly had an urge to study... but you don't know what about? You don't think she would have been trying to learn about the Sacred Orb?"

"Then why the secrecy, even towards us?" Clair pointed out. "I made some discreet inquiries of those whom she talked with, and her topics of interest seemed quite far-ranged in focus, many having no apparent connection with the Sacred Orb."

"So no help there..."

"The other matter of concern," the Queen continued, "is that from the time she first returned, Nel was concealing her Runic signature."

Maria frowned, not quite understanding. "You were saying something about my own earlier...?"

"Everyone with the potential for Runology possesses a distinct pattern of power within themselves, even when at rest," the Queen explained. "Depending on how strong the individual's runological potential is, as well as how strong the Sight is in the onlooker, the pattern may be more or less visible. For an individual trained in espionage, it becomes necessary to learn how to disguise the pattern, to help avoid detection."

"And Nel was doing that? Even here among friends?"

"Even while sleeping, no less. And she was doing such a thorough job that even I, the Holy Mother, was unable to see anything. Her only explanation was that she wished to further her training, no matter how illogical it sounded. At the time, I was not willing to press the issue further."

"At the time? At what point did she leave?"

"After several weeks of this charade, even as my scholars continued to be unsuccessful at locating any new information, I summoned Nel and ordered that she be more forthcoming with information. She refused again, repeating her earlier empty explanations. At that point..." the Queen trailed off.

"It concerned the disappearance of the Sacred Orb," Clair interjected forcefully. "You had every right to demand such a thing."

"Be that as it may, I believe that I may have overstepped my bounds. Upon Nel refusing my orders, I..." Here, the Queen's expression could only be described as sorrowful. "...questioned her loyalty, going so far as to suggest that I might have her runes covered."

Maria didn't understand the specifics of the action, but the disturbed expression on the Queen's face more than explained the severity of the matter. "Your Majesty, do _you_ believe Nel to be disloyal?"

There was a long moment of horrified silence from all the Elicoorians, until Maria began to fear that the language translator had accidentally turned her question into something offensive, possibly involving marital relations with wild animals-

"Disloyal?" Lasselle finally blurted out incredulously. "_Nel?!?_"

"Certainly not," Clair seconded quickly.

"Not even remotely plausible," Elena volunteered.

That probably settled _that_, Maria decided, if even the royal cynic wasn't willing to entertain such a possibility.

"No," the Queen replied, sounding quite definite. "I do not. It was a grave and foolish error on my part to even suggest such a thing. Regardless, the damage was done. The next morning, Nel had vanished without a trace. This was two months ago."

"Since then, we have received sightings of her in almost every major city," Clair continued. "In almost every case, she was involved with people of a scholarly or scientific focus, although her topics of inquiry seem quite random. All attempts at tracking her down have failed, even by those who have worked closely with her."

"And obviously," Maria guessed, "you can't openly have it known that a high-ranking officer like Nel is absent without leave, can you? But you don't have anyone capable of tracking her down. And you don't know what it is that she's after... I can see the position that you're in."

"Might you have some insight on the matter?" The Queen's voice was level, but Maria thought that she could hear a hint of urgency behind it.

She shook her head regretfully. "I'm afraid I can't see what the problem might be either. The whole time Nel was with us, she didn't mention anything that was troubling her. The whole time, she understood that it was the universe that was in danger, but I think her foremost concern was always protecting her own world, here. In the end, we fought a self-proclaimed god, but we killed him. The behaviour you're describing... I honestly don't know."

A collective sigh. "I see."

"That being the case," Maria continued, a thin smile crossing her lips, "it seems obvious that whatever Nel's reasons are, they're somehow connected to this whole Creator incident, wouldn't you say, Odessa?"

Odessa nodded slowly. "I think I see where you're going with this, Maria. It _does_ seem likely, which would give us some flexibility in offering assistance. Did you have something in mind?"

"What if we found her?"

"Found her?"

"Right now," Maria explained, "Nel doesn't seem willing to talk with anybody, and she has the capability of hiding from her own people. Perhaps she'd be more willing to talk with us? Or perhaps, if she realizes that she can't hide any longer, she'd be more willing to talk with her own people?"

"Reasonable enough, I suppose," Odessa decided, looking back at the Elicoorians. "Would you be amiable to such a course of action, Your Majesty?"

The Queen nodded quickly. "If you are able to find her, I would be most grateful. But how exactly would you go about doing that? You mentioned earlier that you were unable to do such a thing...?

"I hadn't gotten that far," Maria admitted. "As I mentioned before, our sensors can't distinguish between individual people. But if Nel was known to be somewhere hidden and remote, our sensors can easily detect individual life forms. Or she was carrying something distinctive, made of some unique material, we may be able to detect that."

"Easily done," Elena voiced. "Her blades."

"Her blades?"

"Nel's blades are composed of forged Runological essence," the researcher elaborated, "and they are _extremely_ unique. But Clair possesses a blade of similar construction, which you could perhaps use to make a comparison? Perhaps to show your sensing devices what exactly to look for?"

"As we mentioned before," Odessa pointed out, "we have never actually been able to detect symbological energies - or Runology, as you call it. I'm not sure if our sensors would be notice anything out of the ordinary."

"Then what of her armour?" Clair suggested. "When Nel returned to us, her clothing looked similar, but it appeared to be made of different materials. She said that it was special armour that she had been given by you...?"

Maria snapped her fingers, a smile appearing on her face. "Of course, I can't believe I didn't think of it myself. The armour we made for her - as long as she's wearing it, we've got her."

"_Maria_...?" Odessa's voice had an edge to it.

"I told you before how Nel was injured when she helped us against the Vendeeni, right? When it was agreed that she would continue with us, she needed some armour to wear. So we remade her uniform with synthetic materials. I have a uniform made with the same kind of materials, actually. It's cutting edge technology, even for us, so it should stick out like a red flag to our sensor array."

Odessa's expression hadn't change, clearly indicating that A Meaningful Discussion would be taking place in the near future, once they were back aboard the privacy of the spaceship. "So we could pinpoint those materials, you're saying? How long will it take to recalibrate the sensor array?"

"Not long. It's already set for wide-field, surface-level scanning, so I can probably have it working within fifteen minutes. From that point, we'll see how long it takes to find the region that Nel's in." Glancing back towards the Elicoorians, "I apologize, Your Majesty, we don't mean to talk past you. But it seems we may have a way of finding Nel... if you like, we can get started immediately?"

"Please," the Queen agreed quickly. "If you think you are able..."

"Then, we'll get right on it. I don't suppose you could narrow down our search any? Even to a region?"

"We believe that she was spotted in Kirlsa just over a week ago," Clair offered, "but that was only in passing. She could have covered quite a bit of ground since then..."

"Then we'll start there. We'll contact you as soon as we have something definite, and we can discuss our course of action from there."

"As you say," the Queen acknowledged. "In the meantime, both myself and my servants will give further consideration to your original reason for visiting."

"Then with your leave?"

"Until later, then."

**+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+**

Amazingly enough, Odessa didn't launch into a lengthy diatribe the minute her and Maria rematerialized aboard the _Taeska Jare_. In fact, she merely pointed out that Maria would probably want to get the multilateral sensor array operational as soon as possible, which was quite correct.

She did, however, silently follow Maria to the cargo bay. She waited patiently while Maria uploaded the appropriate molecular patterns to the sensor array, in order to tell it what exactly to look for. She looked on with polite interest as Maria supplied the search pattern to use, starting over the population mass that corresponded with the town of Kirlsa. And she exhaled a quiet sigh of relief as Maria tapped the 'execute' button and stepped away from the control panel, the machine powering up with a barely audible hum.

"Alright," Maria declared, "the machine is operational and searching. Now, I don't suppose there was anything you wanted to talk about?"

Odessa's look was the long-suffering sort historically bestowed upon commanding officers who think they are funnier than they actually are. Before long, however, it soon waxed into a tired look. "To be perfectly honest, I'm still deliberating where to begin."

"Well, I could feel a nasty look when I mentioned that Elena and I had done earlier research on my powers. And you didn't sound happy about the armour we gave Nel, even if it's going to prove useful now."

"It didn't occur to you to get the armour back afterwards?"

"To the best of my knowledge," Maria pointed out, "_we_ only discovered it about fifty years ago. They wouldn't have a prayer of analyzing it, much less producing more of the materials. And you have to admit that the circumstances were serious. Letting her keep it seemed harmless, and it was the least we could do by way of appreciation for her help - and believe me, she was a big help."

"Granted, granted... Now, regarding the 'research' you and Lady Elena conducted together?"

"Mostly practical. We were trying to find new ways of applying my powers, but we didn't have much time, and we weren't very successful."

"At any point, did the discussion involve the field of genetics?"

"Not really. I explained that for me, the symbols were inside of me, but it never went beyond that, certainly not into the areas of genetics, or even more basic biology. But I think Elena had a point - they may actually know more about my powers than I do. And the entire issue isn't exactly something we can report, is it? The entire existence of my powers is classified, remember?"

Odessa sighed. "No argument, I suppose."

"Then...?"

"I'm trying to formulate an opinion on your way of dealing with these Elicoorians. I can accept that you've already met them, and consider them friends. And I appreciate that you've been quite clear in explaining our restrictions to them thus far."

"But you think I'm being too familiar with them?" Maria guessed. "And not careful enough to stay within the confines of the UP3? In a situation when it would obviously look bad if you were to openly correct me?"

"A succinct summary," Odessa admitted. "You've remained within so far, but you seem very... open in how you talk with them. To be honest, there is a part of me that expects you to slip up any moment. I mean that with all due respect of course, but..."

"No offence taken," Maria assured her. "I _am_ doing my best to be careful about what I say. But if I could ask you something? Are you sure you're not patronizing them?"

A raised eyebrow. "Patronizing them?"

"Technologically, they're about one thousand years behind us. But that doesn't make them any less intelligent, does it?"

"Certainly not, and they've provided no evidence suggesting otherwise."

"So We have restrictions, true, but that doesn't mean we can't still discuss things with them as equals. And there's no reason we can't be open about those restrictions with them."

Odessa's face went through a variety of expressions as she processed Maria's words, but she finally settled on a surprisingly unsophisticated smile. "They... really don't _seem_ primitive, do they?"

Maria nodded understandingly. "They don't, do they? They barely even blinked when I explained the politics surrounding our visit, or the limitations of our sensor arrays."

"And their queen..." Odessa shook her head, disbelief evident in her voice. "At their technological level, with a monarchical ruler... do you have ANY idea how strange our conversation with them was? The fact that the queen herself was asking to learn about other cultures? The fact that they hardly even consider accepting monetary currency in trade? The fact that they can actually put a real date on their legends? The fact that they apparently didn't even try to cover up the existence of other worlds? The layouts of their cities and buildings? Their clearly-confirmed ability to see symbological energies? This world is... is..."

"Unique?" Maria suggested, when Odessa couldn't find a suitable adjective.

"Yes, to understate the matter to an obscene level. We're going to have to put a premium on recorded data, otherwise my colleagues will have me committed to an asylum."

"Noted. Was their - the Queen and her servants, I mean - their behaviour really that strange?"

"For the politics and technological level of their country," Odessa confirmed, "very much so. Their priorities _should_ be centred on power and wealth. Rulers build castles to denote territory and protect themselves, and to make sure their neighbours understand exactly how strong they are, and that mentality should invariably extend to the rest of their politics. They should have been bending over backwards to be on friendly terms with representatives - that would be us - from a people who have recently demonstrated obscene levels of power and knowledge. They should have jumped at the chance to take in a sizable amount of money from an outside source."

"So you're saying that you were expecting to meet with a group of greedy suck-ups?"

"To be frank, yes. But did you catch Magistrate Lasselle's objection to accepting gold or iron as payment? Devaluation of currency and resources isn't a concern for people who plan on keeping the riches to themselves. Furthermore, they've shown no hesitation about questioning us - even objecting to and giving us restrictions that they obviously know they couldn't possibly enforce if we were determined to do otherwise. And I don't have to tell you that Lady Clair was clearly hoping from the start to have you locate Nel for them."

Maria took the statements at face value. "Interesting. I hadn't looked at things that way, but it's certainly food for thought."

"And let's not get into the idea of the supreme ruler of the country taking up gardening as a hobby," Odessa added, almost as an afterthought.

"There are probably worse hobbies for a supreme ruler to have, right?"

"True."

"To answer your earlier concern, I'm not suggesting that we disregard the UP3," Maria stressed. "And I definitely don't want our friendliness to wind up hurting them further down the road. But is there anything keeping us from treating them like negotiating partners, rather than test subjects?"

Odessa raised an eyebrow. "Well, if you're going to phrase it like _that_..."

"I am."

"Would I be out of line to suggest that you have a personal interest in this?"

Maria raised her own eyebrow. "They _are_ friends of mine, you know. And I _did_ just recently finish a term as leader of an organization dedicated to promoting fair and equal dealings between different parties in unequal circumstances. And last but not least, I happen to have first-hand experience as a 'test subject' of someone in a more knowledgeable position."

The last point made Odessa wince slightly. "Fair enough, it _was_ out of line."

Maria waved any suggestion of offence aside. "I didn't mean it that way. But is there any reason that we can't be level with them? Within our restrictions?"

"You have a point, I'll admit. And now that I've actually conversed with them-" Here, Odessa looked almost rueful, "-I'm rapidly beginning to suspect that it would only have been a matter of time before I was forced to abandon the impersonal approach."

"They have that effect, don't they?"

"They certainly do. Of course, I need to keep reminding myself that we still haven't reached an agreement on whether we'll even be allowed to stay."

"Don't start sounding pessimistic now," Maria chided lightly. "I think our first meeting went excellently. We answered all their questions, and we didn't hesitate to offer help when something new came up. You Tetrageniots are notorious for arranging win-win agreements, so what's to say that can't apply here?"

"I suppose that bears some consideration," Odessa admitted. "After all, our desire for knowledge and perspective is clearly mutual. But on the topic of the latter? This business surrounding Nel?"

"Yes?"

"I don't have any trouble with us offering some discreet assistance to the Elicoorians, especially if it helps us make a good impression. But do you have any idea what might have caused this issue in the first place? Perhaps something that you didn't want to suggest outright to them?"

Maria sighed. "I'm afraid not. It _seems_ likely that it has something to do with the whole Creator incident, but... nothing comes to mind. It's just like I told the others, really. The whole time Nel was with us, she understood what was at stake, but she was always most concerned about her own world. For her to just go AWOL like this..."

"So this is extremely out of character for her?"

"Definitely. You saw their reactions when I asked if they questioned her loyalty, didn't you? So whatever she's doing, she probably believes that it's for the benefit of her kingdom. But at the same time, she obviously feels that she can't talk about it with her own people. I can't think of anything else - aside from the Creator incident - that would fit that description."

"Nothing that you've told me is raising any concerns," Odessa admitted. "Unless the Elicoorians' religion happens to venerate a god named Luther?"

"I doubt it. They have a god named Apris, I know that much. But I think Nel would have voiced a few concerns if there was a god named 'Luther' in her religion."

"So, we're in the dark until we locate Nel, it would seem. I've never seen so much as a photo of her, but at this point, I'm beginning to feel like I know this woman personally."

A quiet beep provided a timely interruption to their discussion; the fact that it came from the sensor array made it a welcome one. Both women immediately headed towards the unit's display panel.

"It's located something of interest, I presume?"

"It's got a hit of something." Maria studied the screen for several seconds before offering any further information. "It looks like a small mass of... triferrohexaxenon, in the same location as a solitary life form, moving with a velocity of approximately five kilometres per hour. So unless you can think of another reason for a local from this planet to be wearing military-grade ceramic armour..."

Odessa smiled approvingly. "We've found her. That was fast."

"Well, we started searching over the town of Kirlsa like Clair mentioned, so I'm guessing that she hasn't travelled too far from that area. Let me just superimpose these coordinates over a map of the planet's surface..."

"That appears to be a mountainous region," Odessa observed after a few moments.

"It does," Maria agreed, mentally trying to compare the region to the nearby towns. "If I'm not mistaken, it would be the region they call the Barr Mountains."

"If I'm not mistaken, that was where you and your companions travelled to talk with that giant dragon? Crosell, you said he gave his name as?"

"I'm pretty sure that it is... we travelled by air dragon to the outskirts of it, so I didn't get a good sense for the directions involved. There aren't any other lifesigns nearby, so she's travelling it alone."

"Dangerous?"

"Potentially. Not impossible for someone like her, but... I can't imagine why she'd be there in the first place. There certainly wasn't any literature in those ruins. Unless..."

"Unless...?" Odessa prompted, when Maria wasn't forthcoming.

"We... don't know what Nel's after," Maria pointed out slowly, "but she's clearly trying to learn something, right? But if she couldn't find it in Aquaria's library - which is supposed to be the biggest in the land - or in any other library... what if she thought she could find something out a different way?"

"In the mountains?"

"I think that if she was desperate enough, she might just consider asking an intelligent, seven-hundred year old air dragon."

Odessa's face screwed up as she considered the prospect. "I'm almost certain that your earlier story didn't contain any friendly and helpful giant air dragons."

"It didn't," Maria confirmed grimly. "I think that we'd better contact the Elicoorians right now."

**+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+**

"...She intends to seek out The Marquis?"

Maria shrugged. "I'm making that assumption, to be honest. But to look at these maps..."

Despite the urgency of the matter, the first thing that Maria and Odessa had done was calmly and carefully discuss their options. The outcome of this announcement was almost a foregone conclusion, they both agreed. The real question was how much they were willing (and permitted) to assist or interfere.

After fifteen minutes of rapid discussion and preparation, they had both transported directly down to the White Dew garden, to find the Queen and Clair both present and looking _very_ hopeful. Fifteen seconds of talking had seen them all immediately enroute to the Queen's private quarters.

The Queen nodded slowly as she studied the photographs that covered her table. "That Nel is venturing into the Barr Mountains is unmistakeable."

The pictures had initially been Odessa's idea, but Maria had been quick to agree. After all, it only made sense to have the locals confirm the identity of the area in question. And if such identification was best done with a collection of crystal-clear aerial photographs so intricate and detailed that even the railroad tracks from Kirlsa could be discerned, or with close-ups on the mountain path with the faint blur of red in the middle of it... so much the better. The zoom-out containing the towns of both Kirlsa and Arias was a nice touch too, Maria thought, especially the wisps of clouds that they hadn't bothered to filter out, or way the landscape could be seen to be ever-so-slightly _curved_. Once the original negotiations resumed, these particular pictures would be worth at least a million words apiece.

"And I don't believe there is anything else of note in that region," Clair added worriedly, "save for the Urssa Lava Caves. But to single-handedly seek out the Marquis...?"

"Nel's determination and persistence has never been anything less than legendary," the Queen noted, a hint of exasperation audible in her voice. "I must concur with your hypothesis. If conventional sources of information have failed her, it is entirely possible that she would resort to... less conventional sources. Regardless of the danger to herself."

"There are several air dragons stationed in our city," Clair pointed out. "I will depart for the Barr Mountains immediately."

"That's a long ways, I would think," Odessa pointed out. "Even by air dragon."

"Best I leave at once," Clair agreed quickly. "With your leave, My Queen?"

"Actually," Maria interrupted, "at the risk of sounding presumptuous, Odessa and I anticipated this response."

_That_ was enough to halt the silvette's motion towards the door, and earn a raised eyebrow from the Queen.

"Even despite the circumstances," Maria elaborated, "we still have the restrictions we mentioned earlier. But there _are_ some ways we might be able to assist you with this, if you're willing."

"Such as...?"

"Our transportation technology is normally used for travelling between our ship and the surface, but it can easily be used to travel between two points on the surface."

The Queen raised an eyebrow. "This would be permitted for people aside from yourselves?"

"The individuals would never be aboard our ship," Odessa explained, "which eliminates any possibility of them seeing anything sensitive. One of us would have to be present to handle communications and coordinate additional transports, but Maria is willing to do just that. And of course, she's visited the region before."

"Indeed..." the Queen agreed, giving Maria a careful look. Or, to be more accurate, giving Maria's new wardrobe a careful look. Apparently, the switch from her casual clothing to her Quark uniform/armour hadn't gone unnoticed. The equipment probably stood out too, since she hadn't been packing weaponry or sensory devices half an hour ago. "You are willing to do this?"

"If you want to pursue this course of action, it really seems like the best way," Maria agreed. "Once Nel realizes that she can't hide any longer, that should break this stalemate and get her to talk. If she'll talk with you, excellent. If not, perhaps she'll be willing to talk with me? Either way, we'll have made progress on this matter."

"Very true," the Queen agreed slowly. "I dislike the idea of pulling you into our personal affairs, but if you are willing to offer your assistance, we will not turn it down."

"It's no trouble at all," Maria assured her, before turning towards Clair. "We can leave at any time, if you're willing."

Clair nodded crisply. "If I may take a moment to retrieve a weapon?"

"Of course. We can leave as soon as you're ready."

It was only once Clair had closed the door behind her that the Queen finally spoke again. "It is a difficult thing to see no options to take, and once a possible path becomes known, some people are inclined to pursue that path with almost fanatical effort. This stalemate that Nel has created has been difficult for all of us, but even more so for Clair."

Maria smiled understandingly. "Some of us are like that, I think. We like to solve problems by directly involving ourselves with them, but that's not always an option. And I remember Nel once mentioning that her and Clair were good friends."

"The very closest of friends," the Queen amended. "While I bestowed the title of 'Crimson Blade' upon them each separately, it was not long before the people - both my own and Airyglyph's - began to refer to them as the 'Double-Edged Crimson Blade'. Their prowess in combat is legendary, but so too is their friendship."

"I see. I hadn't realized that."

"If there is anyone of this world that Nel would be willing to talk to, it will be Clair. And if not-" Almost imperceptibly, the Queen face tightened, "-then we shall see if she is willing to converse with someone who is _not_ of this world."

"If it comes to that," Maria promised, "I'll do my best to help. I haven't known her very long, but I _do_ consider Nel a good friend. Even if our time beside each other wasn't under the most ideal of circumstances."

"The strongest bonds can be those forged in conflict," the Queen mused thoughtfully. "Perhaps your visitation is more well-timed than you realize."

"Perhaps," Maria allowed.

Light, but rapid, footsteps came into hearing, just before the door opened to reveal Clair, now sporting a sword at her waist, but looking unchanged otherwise. "I have everything I need," she informed Maria crisply. "I am ready to depart at your leisure."

Seeing the Queen's approving nod, Maria turned towards her friend. "Then we won't waste any time. Odessa, if you could handle the transporter for us?"

Odessa nodded, taking several steps away from the room's other occupants, before tapping several buttons on her communicator. "Until later, Your Majesty." A moment later, she dissolved in a pillar of light, the _Taeska Jare_ obediently transporting her back up into orbit.

"If you could just stand over here with me," Maria instructed Clair, who promptly obeyed. Despite her demeanour, Maria could easily detect hints of apprehension behind it all, likely at the prospect of being dematerialized through unknown means. "You might feel slightly disoriented for a few seconds, but that will be the worst of it."

A polite chirp sounded from her own communicator. _"Are you ready, Maria?"_

"We're ready. Lock on to myself and Clair - she's closest to me - for surface-to-surface transport. See if you can put us down at Nel's last known location, but verify that there aren't any immediate life forms nearby."

_"Understood. Prepare for transport in ten seconds."_

"May Apris guide your search," the Queen pronounced solemnly.

Clair nodded curtly, resting one hand firmly on the pommel of her sword. "I _will_ bring Nel back," she promised.

An equally curt nod was the Queen's only response.

For several seconds, the room was silent enough to hear all three individuals breathing, and then everything dissolved a familiar haze of white.

**+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+**

"That was a... most interesting experience."

Maria nodded idly in response to Clair's observation, scanning her surroundings carefully. The pathway they had appeared on looked just as she remembered it. That is to say, it was wide and rocky, and had walls on either side that only allowed one ascend or descend the mountain. More helpful landmarks were nowhere to be seen.

Un-holstering and flipping open her communicator, "Odessa?"

_"Yes?"_

"How close are we to the original position we saw Nel at?"

_"You're approximately one hundred yards North of the target location. The sensors indicate that Nel vanished into the caverns, and hasn't re-emerged since. There were a few non-humanoid life forms near the original location, so I decided I'd place you a little further uphill."_

"Sounds good. I'm going to ask you to keep the sensor array scanning this area, and alert us if you pick up Nel's armour again."

_"Are there other exits to this area?"_

"I don't know for certain, so I'm just covering all the possibilities. Besides which, if she spots us first, she might try and backtrack around us. If you detect Nel's armour again, try to punch a boosted transmission through to me. This communicator is more powerful, so I should at least be able to receive it inside the mountain. I don't think even this unit will be able to send out a reply, though."

_"Understood. Is the recording equipment operating properly?"_

"Don't worry, you'll get your camera footage. Maybe even of Crosell, if it comes to that."

_"No unnecessary risks."_

"Of course not. Maria out."

Folding and holstering her communicator, Maria dutifully minded her other equipment. The recording device was working and recording as OptiLux Inc. had intended and advertised, and the built-in diagnostics promised that nothing would change in the near future.

Loosening the holding strap around Odessa's weaponry provision, Maria double-checked the charge on the micro-blaster. It was a good unit, packing enough of a punch to be lethal to almost anything short of Crosell, even if its limited charge capacity made it unsuitable for longer-term expeditions. As an added bonus, its weight and balance were excellent, and Maria was a talented enough shooter to properly appreciate such things.

The last object attached to her belt was Maria's wild card against an expert in concealment - a fully-optioned quad-scanner unit, superior even to the units Quark had possessed. Maybe Nel could hide and disguise herself with the best of them, but all bets were off against the latest offering in the field of handheld detection devices. Maria didn't know what favours Odessa had pulled in to obtain this particular piece of palm-sized perfection, but she certainly wasn't complaining.

"Ready?" she inquired holding out the scanning unit and waiting for it to establish an initial reading of the immediate area.

Clair nodded, scanning the surroundings in admiration. "Your 'transporters' are quite fascinating, I must confess. To travel so far, so quickly... Even the sun is noticeably lower than in Aquios."

"They have their uses," Maria agreed. "They're only good up to a certain distance, though."

"I see. So we are travelling uphill, I presume?"

"You've got it. Keep an eye on the sky, so we don't get surprised. I remember that some of the dragons around here were _big_."

"I have never travelled this area myself," Clair admitted, "but I expect that we have little to fear from the local animals if we stay on our guard. It would be best to remain quiet, however. Nel's senses are _extremely_ acute, and she will already be on her guard in this place."

"We'll see if she can beat out this scanner," Maria decided. "Do people come up here normally?"

"Almost never. Even Airyglyph's Dragon Brigade usually stays away from this region, out of respect for the Marquis."

"So any person I detect is almost certain to be Nel...?"

"Likely," Clair corrected. "Apparently Sir Albel Nox, from Airyglyph, has been training a great deal in these mountains recently. When I last talked with Count Woltar, he was still up here, so we may come across him. But otherwise... I expect there would only be Nel."

"Albel? Up here alone?"

"The stronger the warrior, the stronger the challenge required to improve further," Clair replied reasonably. "Since the demise of Duke Vox, I suspect he truly has no equal in combat, among either Airyglyph's or our own armies. Perhaps he felt that this was the only way to further his skills, with the war over and done with now. And I suspect that someone of his talent would have as little to fear from this region's wildlife as we do."

"I see. Well... my scanner has its bearings now, and there's no human life nearby. Let's get moving."

"Yes, let's."

**+-+-+-+-+-+**

"Well, I'd say _this_ is definitely evidence of Nel coming through here."

Both individuals looked intently at the corpse before them. At one point, it had clearly been a flying dragon; at this point, it was a flying dragon corpse. Maria was no forensics expert, but two focussed burn marks on its hide, coupled with an absence of cuts, suggested some form of energy attack had put it down.

"Lightning Runology," Clair pronounced, confirming her theory. "The first strike into its body, the second directly through its head. This is most certainly Nel's work."

"She doesn't seem to be having any trouble with the wildlife, does she?"

"No. She doesn't." For some reason, the statement sounded uneasy.

"Is something wrong?"

"During Nel's time with you?"

"Yes?"

"She became stronger?"

"I'd say so. Her lightning magic was a big help to us, so she spent a lot of time practicing with it, so she could use it faster and more accurately."

"I can believe that. Directing large blasts of Lightning Runology against a flying dragon like this is difficult, even for someone of Nel's talent," Clair explained, looking around the clearing. "I can see no evidence of missed strikes, so I assume that her skills have improved recently."

"I think that's probably a fair assumption."

"Did... she improve in other areas as well?"

"I... suppose so," Maria managed, trying to decide where the other was leading with the conversation. "Our entire existence was at stake, there was no one else who could face down the Creator, and we weren't expecting any second chances. That makes for some serious motivation to be the best you can be, you might say. Are you sure something isn't wrong?"

Clair shook her head demurely. "No, I was simply curious, that is all. Nel's recounting of those events was lacking in detail in some areas. But it is good to know that she is in no danger right now."

Something about the explanation sounded off, but Maria couldn't place what. For now, she let it slide, choosing to focus on more immediate concerns. "The scanner's picking up some residual static in the air," she observed. "This can't have happened very long ago. A few more creatures like this might slow her down enough for us to catch up to her, if we're lucky."

"Then let us hurry."

**+-+-+-+-+-+**

"I remember Nel mentioning these ruins earlier."

"We didn't have much time to survey the décor," Maria agreed, giving the clearly artificial ruins an idle look of appreciation. They hadn't dwelled on the details the last time through, more concerned about what lay beyond, but it was plain to be seen that the original inhabitants had been fascinated with dragons. "But they _are_ interesting."

"It is possible that Airyglyph knows something about them, from their long association with their air dragons."

"Maybe, although Albel didn't seem to know much. You've never heard of anyone living here?"

Clair shook her head. "I'm afraid not. Perhaps your friend, Lady Odessa, might have some insight?"

"Good point. I'll have to suggest it to her later."

Technically speaking, Maria reflected, even if the inhabitants of this planet weren't amiable to the visitation, places like these ruins could probably keep Odessa busy for quite some time. Investigating the ruins hadn't been a priority on their last visit; more of an intermediate destination between the Barr Mountains and the Urssa Lava Caves proper, but the fact that it had once been inhabited was undeniable. Furthermore, even Maria's untrained eyes could tell that the materials used were far more advanced than those used by both Aquaria and Airyglyph.

"Maria?"

"Hmm?"

"I had meant to ask earlier," Clair continued, "but your 'transporter' device? Is it able to transport more than two people at a time?"

Maria waved her worries aside. "It can handle five or six with no trouble at all. More than that, and it's just a matter of transporting the people in groups. Why do you ask?"

"I was merely curious. So when we locate Nel, it will be possible for us to all transport back to Aquaria?"

"Easily. We'll have to get out of these caves, but once we're in the open again, there won't be any problems."

"I see."

As before, something about the question sounded... off. Once again, however, Maria let it slide, in favour of continuing to alternate between studying her surroundings and her scanner.

"Your transporter device?" Clair began again, after a moment.

"Yes?"

"Is it able to transport people who are injured?"

"That's not a problem either."

"What if they've been rendered unconscious?"

Maria frowned slightly. "To be honest, the transporter doesn't really care about the state of the person. Or whether the object's even alive in the first place. That's why it automatically transports our clothing along with us."

Clair nodded, clearly deep in thought. "So even if there was a need to transport someone who was... unconscious. Perhaps even with... broken limbs? That would not present a problem?"

Maria's frown deepened. "Not as far the transportation was concerned. But you're not expecting that to happen, are you? We're being careful, and Nel doesn't seem to be having much trouble with the wildlife so far. Or do you think otherwise?"

"You're right. I was merely curious."

"..."

"I also meant to inquire about your clothing? It is actually armour?"

The change of topic wasn't unwelcome, although Maria had a gut feeling that it might not be an improvement. "That's right. My clothing was designed so that I could look presentable, but still be well-protected."

"And it protects better than our own armour, I imagine?"

"I'm not an authority on the specifics," Maria admitted, tapping the stomach area of her uniform. "It's flexible, but it's virtually impossible to penetrate by most means. It also has energy-dissipating properties, which lets it dissipate focussed impacts and energy bursts over a wider area. It can't actually break the laws of physics, but it can spread them out a fair bit. Sometimes, that can make all the difference in the world."

"Indeed. And Nel's armour is similar to your own?"

"It uses the exact same type of materials, actually."

"Does it have any weak points that can be exploited?"

Maria came to an abrupt halt. "Look," she began quickly, "I don't mean to be rude, but I feel like I'm beginning to see a _pattern_ to your questions...?"

"Nel _will_ be coming back with us," Clair stated matter-of-factly, having stopped, but not bothered to look back. "I intend to make certain of it."

"I thought you two were good friends?" Maria pointed out reasonably.

"We are," she assured calmly. "The very best and closest of friends."

"Then-"

Clair finally turned, wearing a smile that was positively cherubic in nature. Possibly even seraphic. It was just _that_ innocent.

"Which is why we would certainly never use _killing_ moves against each other," she continued calmly. "Which is why I am quite willing to help Nel back to the Queen on foot. Or carry her. Restrained and gagged, if necessary. And I will see to her recovery personally, if it should come to that."

Oh gods. "And you're willing to risk killing each other with those weapons-" This time, Maria cut herself off, finally taking a closer look at Clair's weapon. The sword had yet to be drawn, but the sheath and hilt appeared... painfully dull. Certainly not something that a military general would normally wear, much less the 'forged runological essence' blade that Elena had earlier claimed Clair owned.

To complete the answer, Clair partially unsheathed the sword, enough to reveal an unflattering, unpolished blade, devoid of any visible edge. "A training weapon," she explained patiently. "Which will allow me to strike as hard as I wish."

"Look," Maria tried again, beginning to sense that the silvette in fact wished to strike VERY hard. On Nel's head, for preference. "I didn't agree to help you, just so you could beat each other senseless."

"I understand that. But it appears quite obvious that Nel is already completely devoid of sense at this time," Clair concluded, still wearing the same smile. "Which means she has no more sense to lose, and makes it imperative that she be instilled with sense as quickly as possible, correct?"

Maria could remember a time, back when she'd first become leader of Quark. Finding himself with a reduced set of responsibilities, it had taken almost an entire week for Cliff to find trouble, managing to single-handedly offend an entire bar full of irate bounty hunters and ex-convicts. Maria had intended to try to settle things peacefully, but Mirage had intervened, saying that she would handle the matter herself. Cliff had insisted to Mirage that he had matters under complete control.

In reply, Mirage had _smiled_.

Less than two minutes later, the entire population of the bar was unconscious, although several had exited the building without using the door or windows. Cliff regained consciousness in sickbay four hours later. Maria had received a new microblaster, (after the prosthetic limb still holding it was disposed of). Mirage's knuckles had taken the rest of the day to heal.

Clair had the same smile.

For the time being, Maria gave up. "Talk first, alright? The Lava Caves should be just ahead."

**+-+-+-+-+-+**

The Urssa Lava Caves were not for the faint of heart.

The environment's sheer hostility towards visitors made the existence of walkways seem almost absurd in hindsight. In fact, at one point in time, Maria would have sworn such a place couldn't possibly exist. Having traversed the caverns once did a lot to solidify her belief, but she would have been quite content to continue believing in it from afar.

If Maria was any judge, the caverns covered several square kilometres at minimum, to say nothing of the vast area that hadn't even been explored the first time here. The solid portions of ground were hot enough to easily blister unprotected feet, while the bone-dry air threatened to bake one's lungs from the inside out. The other 80 was composed of molten rock, glowing brightly enough to illuminate the entire cavern for the convenience of anyone insane enough to visit.

If you were inclined to think about the place logically, it took a desperate person to trust that the few solid pathways available would lead where they wanted to go, much less remain solid long enough for them to leave again. Maria didn't know what was keeping the pathways from being dissolved by the massive pools of magma, and decided she probably didn't _want_ to know. Not until she was outside again, at any rate.

"The runological flows here are incredible," Clair whispered, as she carefully threaded her way down the centre of the pathways.

"Are they?" Maria inquired, wiping the sweat from her face for what seemed the thousandth time. She didn't know if the heat near the edge of the pathway was enough to make a person spontaneously combust, but she didn't feel like finding out. She had somehow managed to forget about - or repress, more likely - the insane level of heat this place exuded. Given some time, she was certain, dehydration could kill you as effectively as some of the creatures here.

"Parts of the ground seem to have been inlaid with a combination of Fire and Water runes," the Elicoorian elaborated, studying the ground carefully. "They're shifting the heat energy from the solid ground, back into the magma. But to remain in place for so long, and to affect such a wide area... it must require an immense amount of runological energy..."

Well, that explained a few things, even if it failed to provide much reassurance. Maria knew that rock required a lot of energy to melt, and to multiply that by the sheer volume of magma present... "So this area _isn't_ naturally created?"

"I have heard Lady Elena and other researchers talk about a band of runological energy that encircles our world. It passes through Aquios and the Shrine of Kadden, which is why the background runological concentrations are so great there. But the beginning and end of the flow are believed to start in this region. I would imagine that someone took advantage of that, at some point in the past."

"A band of energy?" Maria inquired, sounding somewhat sceptical. "Around the entire planet? Nel and Albel never mentioned anything like that last time we were here."

"Understandable," Clair agreed. "Albel Nox would be not trained in Runology, and in certain areas, my own training in Runology was more in-depth than Nel's, so I expect that she may not have been exposed to it. It's still quite theoretical, but I understand Lady Elena has recently expressed interest in studying the phenomenon further."

"Interesting. I suppose that peacetime might-" Maria cut herself off, coming to an abrupt halt. "_Wait_."

Clair had halted behind her, remaining silent but searching the area even more intently than before.

A single dot had appeared at the edge of her Quad-scanner's screen, corresponding to a humanoid life form located approximately three hundred metres ahead.

Straining her eyes, Maria tried to make out details ahead of her. There was a wide expanse of magma ahead of them, the intense heat of the air above enough to make the task akin to looking underwater. Nevertheless, if she looked carefully, she could almost make out-

A sharp intake of breath from Clair indicated that she was seeing the same thing. A solitary figure walking ahead of them, most of the details obscured by the heat and distance, but most certainly with red hair. Circumstances dictated that it could only be one person...

"Nel," Clair whispered, breaking into a fast walk.

Maria hastened to keep up. "We're here to talk, remember? She might feel more reasonable when she sees me."

There was something else ahead as well - a pair of doors. At this distance, coloured by the incandescent magma, they almost blended into the surroundings, and were more noticeable from the black gap between them. At least, until the distant figure disappeared through their open gap.

"Crosell's lair," Maria informed Clair, recognizing the doors.

As one, both women began to sprint. Clearly, stealth had just become largely pointless, and waiting was only going to leave Nel alone with Crosell that much longer...

"Stop before we reach... the doors," Maria warned, between breaths. "We don't... want to agitate Crosell."

"Understood."

Maria reached the doors first, by virtue of being the last to stop, and openly brandishing her quad-scanner as though there might be something dangerous beyond the door. Not that she expected there to be any surprises - she _knew_ there was something dangerous beyond the doors, and she suspected that anything else would probably have little trouble fitting inside Crosell's mouth. Surprisingly enough, even as she strode through the open doorway, she caught a second humanoid blip on the scanner. Then Maria was through, and viewing the room for herself.

The room hadn't changed in the last three months, to say the least. It was enormous, because seven hundred year old giant air dragons need their living space. The main floor was wide and level - made of flat-faced stonework - with the far end containing a raised podium, almost as though it had once been a (extremely big) throne room at one time. To judge from the aging and wear on the rock, that time had been measured in centuries, if not millennia.

Small pools of glowing magma could see seen around the edges, but the main source of light was the giant opening directly above the podium, which Maria could remember leading all the way out of the mountains. Late in the afternoon, the light that reached this far down was weak, but the quality was still enough to paint the environment with a much more natural colour.

The figure they had spotted earlier was already halfway to the far side of the room, but could now be easily identified as Nel, her walking pace respectful and measured. The newer blip on her quad scanner could also be seen now, just to the right of Nel. Even at two hundred metres, the lean figure, the metallic arm, and the purple clothing - it could only be Albel Nox. It seemed that Clair's suggestion had turned out to be accurate after all.

When she was only a short distance from him, Nel paused, turning to look at Albel, who was saying something. She shook her head once, apparently dismissing whatever his concern was, then gestured towards the far end of the room, where the room's owner rested...

The Marquis. Lord of the Air Dragons. Crosell.

Whatever you wanted to call him, he was a really damn BIG reptile. Glancing downwards briefly, Maria confirmed that for a fact. Anything that can look so enormous, while lying down, while remaining on the very edge of the quad-scanner's detection range HAS to be big. Maria had once learned in school that endoskeletal creatures were inherently size-limited, even if they lived in water, but she suspected that Crosell hadn't gotten the memo.

Turning away from her brief conversation with Albel, Nel continued her approach to Crosell, the Glyphian warrior seeming content to watch from his present position-

_"NEL!!!"_

Maria started at the sudden yell, but at least it lessened the surprise of having Clair sprint past her at top speed. "Don't!" she hissed urgently, breaking into the most diplomatic pursuit she thought she could manage. "Not here!"

A fraction of a second later, Nel started too, spinning around to face the source of the yell. Even at the distance, Maria thought she could catch the shocked expression on the redhead's face. Clearly, she hadn't expected to be followed. Maria just hoped Nel spotted her and clued into _how_ she'd been followed... and she hoped that Crosell would keep on resting.

With her head start, Clair reached Nel first, coming to a halt several metres away and squaring off against her friend. "What in Apris' name do you think you're DOING!?!"

Maria came to a halt just behind Clair, stopping just short of actually intervening, but close enough that intervention might still be an option. Maybe - just maybe - interference wouldn't be necessary, but she was beginning to doubt that more and more.

Nel hadn't changed much. The shock of red hair might have been slightly longer, and her face had a slightly weary look that Maria couldn't remember ever seeing before, but there was no mistaking the woman who had fearlessly fought alongside Maria and her friends, standing at the forefront of the unpredictable and bizarre dangers that advanced worlds and alternate universes had brought upon Elicoor II.

Her ability to roll with sudden surprises and situations hadn't waned either, as the initial shock of being found had already transformed into a healthy head of indignation towards Clair, coupled with a secondary look of caution and calculation (and maybe just a hint of accusation) towards Maria's presence.

"I'm doing what I have to do!" Nel snapped back, in reply to Clair's demand.

"And what exactly is _that_?"

"None of your concern!"

"None of my concern?" Clair demanded incredulously, her hand now firmly planted on the hilt of her sword. "Will you tell me that this is none of Her Majesty's concern either? If you have the tiniest fraction of sense left in your head, you'll turn around, march yourself before the Queen, and stop this ridiculous charade this instant!!!"

"Back off!" Nel ordered, taking on a combative stance of her own, her hands hanging down loosely, clearly ready to grab her own knives. "This has nothing to do with you!"

Maria winced, trying to discreetly edge herself into the conversation. It wasn't as though she hadn't been forewarned as to Clair's intentions, but she had NOT expected the silvette go from 'demure' to 'dangerous' in the blink of an eye, with a definite option on 'deadly' if things didn't settle down. To make matters worse, it didn't look like Nel had any intention of doing anything to diffuse the tension. "Excuse me-" she began.

"You swore vows!" Clair yelled. "To Her Majesty and the kingdom! Is THIS what your oaths are worth?!"

"Vows?" Nel demanded, her own temper becoming more evident. "I'm doing this FOR my kingdom! So you can just turn around and go-"

**CLANG**

Training in a Klausian dojo taught one how to track very fast movements, but even Maria barely saw Clair lunge forwards, tear her sword free from its sheath in one smooth motion, and slam the weapon into Nel's own crossed blades.

Even as Nel shifted backwards to absorb the larger weapon's impact, Clair's right leg lashed out toward Nel's knee, even as Nel snapped her own foot out to block the attempt, which allowed Clair's free hand to bring the sword's empty sheath around to impact Nel in her stomach.

Staggering backwards, Nel turned the motion into a quick series of back flips, putting several long paces between them. "If that's how you're going to be..."

"I promised the Queen that I would bring you back," Clair informed her, levelling her sword in front of her. "I made no promises as to what condition you would be in."

**+-+-+**

Almost gingerly, Maria fingered her micro-blaster, her mind rapidly evaluating her options. There were about a thousand reasons to NOT try to break up this fight, she knew. Near the top of the list were 1) it wasn't even her business in the first place; 2) She had the UP3 to worry about; and 3) Her weapon didn't have a 'stun' setting.

Countering those arguments were the fact that Clair was basically wielding the equivalent of two metal baseball bats against an opponent who had no head or neck protection, while Nel was wielding two _extremely_ sharp blades (Forged runological essence, Elena claimed) that Maria had actually seen driven _through_ modern armour. If this kept up, somebody WOULD get killed. Separate issue or not, telling Queen Aquaria that one of her generals had killed the other was going to put a BIG crimp in any extended visitations...

"Dammit," Maria muttered under her breath, edging closer to the fight.

Clair was attacking again, taking full advantage of her weapons' longer reach and greater weight. Most strikes - be they sword or sheath - were blocked by Nel's blades together, which had already let Clair land several hard blows with her alternate weapon. On the occasions that Nel tried to use only one of her blades to block, the impact knocked her off-balance and unable to use her remaining blade to block properly.

Maria was no swords expert, but Clair's strength and reach advantage were obvious to be seen, as was the way she carefully kept herself just beyond Nel's ability to retaliate. The properties of Nel's advanced armour were likely letting her mostly ignore the hits, but one strike to an unprotected area would be another matter. To see how Nel threatened to buckle under the attacks, Clair swung like someone twice her size. Unless Nel did something drastic, she was fighting a losing battle-

-Abruptly, Nel charged forwards, arm's crossed in front of her. Even as Clair's sword swung around, the redhead threw her one arm into its path, taking the hit on her bracer, while throwing her body inside the effective arc of Clair's sheath. Clair twisted sideways, spinning her weapon around to try and use the shorter portion to attack, but Nel's other hand flipped its knife around, and drove the butt of the weapon up into Clair's armpit.

Maria couldn't help but wince as the silvette's arm spasmed, involuntarily dropping the sheath. Then she winced further as Clair retaliated by driving her knee into Nel's side so hard the redhead's feet actually left the ground. Stumbling, Nel dropped to the ground, turning her momentum into a backwards-sweeping kick that sent Clair's sheath tumbling away from the fight, before crossing her blades overhead just in time to catch a double-handed overhead swing by Clair. Nel buckled under the impact, but managed to roll backwards and letting her attacker's momentum carry her overhead, before assisting the process with a hard double-kick.

Maria breathed a quiet sigh of relief as Clair hit the ground several seconds later, rolling smoothly while maintaining the grip on her remaining weapon. Down to one weapon against Nel's two, Clair would surely resort to verbal jousting instead of... pointing a glowing hand at Nel?

**BOOM**

Maria threw up her arms to shield herself from any stray debris, inwardly reciting some colourful Klausian curses as she tried to see through the plume of dust that had enveloped the area. It wasn't that she'd forgotten about the Elicoorian's extensive use of spells in battle; she just hadn't thought she needed to worry about such things here-

-another burst of red light flared in the direction that Nel had dodged-

**BOOM**

Nel's form appeared at the edge of the second cloud, staggering briefly, but otherwise unscathed and ready for further evasion. An unnatural blast of wind whipped around her, causing her to tense momentarily, but did no more than suck the dust up towards the cavern ceiling and restore visibility near the ground.

A dozen paces away, Clair stood, the runes along her shoulders and legs still burning fiercely.

Nel met her gaze evenly, something indescribable etched across her face.

Sucking in a breath, Maria raised her blaster. One good warning shot between them should be enough to get them to calm down and-

-Nel charged-

-Standing her ground, Clair lifted her sword in both hands-

-Maria swore, hastily lowering her weapon again-

_ten paces apart_

-Arms and sword both incandescent, Clair drove her weapon into the rock-

-Nel drew back her blades, energy beginning to pulse along their lengths-

_eight paces_

-Lines of energy spidered outwards through the rock in all directions-

-Nel slashed forwards with her weapons-

_six paces_

-The ground exploded upwards with light-

-Twin crescents of violet light sliced forwards-

_four paces_

-The two fields of energy intersected momentarily, their lines of effect almost seeming to bend around each other, before finally scattering outwards in a blast of debris and light that temporarily blinded Maria-

**CLANG**

Wincing as her vision struggled to readjust itself, Maria focussed on the centre of the scene, where the silhouettes of the two were coming into view. The two had locked weapons, Clair having turned her sword to intercept both of Nel's daggers, and were now engaged in a pushing match.

"You DARE use..." Nel hissed furiously.

For her part, Clair appeared remarkably self-satisfied over the current situation. "_You_ are the last person to be accusing anyone-"

"-I told you-"

"-And _I_ told _you_ that if..." Abruptly, Clair's voice weakened, her face taking on a genuinely shocked expression. "Nel... what happened to you?"

It wasn't a rhetorical question, the tone of voice told that much. But even Nel's face registered confusion as Clair fell back several paces and lowered her sword, staring incredulously as though she'd never seen Nel before.

"Your runological signature," the silvette whispered. "It's _changed_..."

Nel's confusion quickly vanished, now replaced by a panicked look. The runes along her arms flared briefly, but without any further evidence of activity. "Y-you're imagining things!" she protested quickly.

"What _happened_ to you?!?" Clair demanded, her voice rising again.

Maria frowned at the cryptic exchange, trying to understand this latest revelation as best she could manage. The Queen had stated earlier that Nel had been concealing her runological signature, but clearly Clair had somehow just managed to get a look at it, and... Maria didn't know. Whatever the change was, it was clearly significant.

"Nothing happened!" Nel was protesting, far too quickly to be credible. "You didn't see anything!"

"I'm not blind, Nel! Drop that concealment spell!"

"There's nothing to see!"

Clair was actually silent for several seconds, staring at Nel intently. Finally... "Very well, then." Glancing over, "Maria, we should take our leave of this place. I must consult with my Queen before taking any further action."

Nel paled even further. "Y-you can't tell her!"

"Are you even LISTENING to yourself!?!" Clair snapped, any pretence at calmness vanished. "Who, on this world or any other, gave YOU the authority to withhold information from the Commander of the Army or the Queen!?!"

"This is completely different!"

Still missing her sheath, Clair looped her weapon through her belt instead, clearly intending no further use of it. "Her Majesty _will_ hear of this, Nel. Who she hears it from..._ that_ is up to you."

"Dammit, Clair-"

"And remember Maria?" Clair interrupted firmly. "That nice young lady you worked with before? I can understand if you've forgotten - you certainly seem to have forgotten a few _other_ things as well - but she's graciously offered to use her people's devices to track you down. So you may do as you wish, we'll certainly have no further trouble finding you after this."

Maria frowned slightly at that; any future 'gracious' offers of help would DEFINITELY be coming with some non-violence clauses attached, she decided. Nevertheless, she knew all about hard negotiating, and Clair had clearly managed to push Nel into a corner on this issue. It remained to be seen whether Nel would give in or not.

"Maria's transportation device is exceptionally fast," Clair added pointedly, beginning to walk towards the exit. "I believe we can afford to wait a few moments, if you wish to consider the matter further."

The expression on Nel's face could have melted stone, even as she pointedly turned away to stare at an empty wall.

_"Are you done?"_

**+-+-+**

"Are you done?"

As one, all three individuals immediately spun to face the source of the sudden inquiry - Albel Nox. The warrior had remained surprisingly silent and unobtrusive this far, but was now approaching the other three purposefully. The question was clearly directed at Nel.

"We're done here," Nel replied curtly.

"You've become stronger," he stated matter-of-factly.

"Just your imagination."

"Don't insult me," he scoffed. "I've seen you fight before, and you couldn't have held off Lasbard without using Runology. At least, not the last time I saw you. So you've become stronger."

"What of it?"

"Defend yourself."

Nel's mouth actually hung open. "W-what!?"

"Defend yourself."

"You can't be serious!"

Albel shrugged, looking for all the world as though he were commenting on the weather. "I've trained here long enough. Now I need to see how much stronger I've become."

"Albel Nox," Clair interjected. "May I remind you that our two kingdoms have a treaty?"

He dismissed her concern with a gesture. "I know _that_. I'm not going to kill her."

"I couldn't care less about your training," Nel replied bluntly. "Go back to swinging at shadows, for all I care."

A flash of metal whistled through the air, Albel's sword suddenly out and in-hand. "And did I say," he inquired pointedly, "that you had a choice?"

"Piss. Off." Nel suggested, her expression beginning to turn dangerous.

"I think that you found some strong opponents to fight." Albel levelled his blade at her. "So try to make this interesting for me."

Clair scowled. "Albel-"

"You brainless warmongering son-of-a-bitch," Nel growled, the runes on her arms and legs beginning to flare. "You are the LAST thing I want to deal with right now!"

Clair's scowl deepened. "Nel-"

Albel lunged.

Nel lunged.

**+-+-+**

Maria cursed again, noting that she was doing that far too often since arriving on this planet. Apparently, she decided disgustedly, the Elicoorians had invented 'Runology' instead of 'Diplomacy'.

Both fighters met each other's initial lunges with equivalent parries, Albel using the base of his sword's blade to push away Nel's attempted slash, and Nel solidly blocking Albel's metal claw with her other blade.

"No..." Clair whispered, staring at the fight before them.

"Good thing you gave Albel a chance to see how much Nel's improved," Maria muttered darkly, unable to help herself.

"That's Albel Nox! She can't possibly-" She halted herself, as Albel staggered backwards, courtesy of a well-placed elbow to the chest. At the same time, Nel flipped back, at a strangely accelerated pace.

Maria recognized the technique. Directing a blast of air against one's own self, to instantly change direction, even in mid-air. Nel had developed it after being warned about the malfunctioning security systems on Moonbase, and being shown footage of what modern weaponry could do to a target. She'd actually been able to break even with Cliff in speed, although learning to land had been harder-

Nel touched the ground at speed, flipping three times before managing to bleed off enough momentum to land solidly. Her runes were still glowing brightly, her right hand outstretched towards Albel's position, even as the man grabbed the blade of his sword with his claw and drove it into the ground-

**CRACKBOOM**

Recognizing the warning signs, Maria had averted her eyes just in time. Thick bolts of electricity smashed into the ground where Albel stood, strobing the entire cavern white for an instant.

Amazingly enough, by the time the dust cleared, Albel could be seen pulling his sword out of the ground and returning it to his organic hand, looking none the worse for the wear. "Excellent!" he declared, charging towards Nel.

"He grounded himself," Maria muttered, impressed despite herself. Nel's lightning bolts had fried some impressive pieces of machinery back on Moonbase.

Nel was already flinging a barrage of ice shards in his path, but an instant before contact, Albel's claw lashed out, scattering the ice daggers from his path.

Nel promptly launched two blasts of flame towards him, before digging her heels into the ground and launching herself forwards. In response, Albel's sword flashed out twice in succession, twin furrows of air ploughing ahead through the dust to intercept both fireballs, causing them to explode prematurely in clouds of cinders.

Less than a second later, the two fighters collided, Albel managing to catch both of Nel's blades on his sword, but forced to brace the weapon with his claw least she bowl him over through sheer momentum. They remained deadlocked for several moments, before simultaneously pushing away from each other to drop into a combat-ready stance, both clearly daring the other to make the next move.

And clearly visible between them, two glowing orbs of light could be seen.

Maria exhaled sharply, her eyes refocusing on the far end of the cavern. A similar noise alerted her to the fact that Clair had seen the same thing.

"The Marquis..." Clair breathed. "He's awake..."

"_Gosh_," Maria muttered acidly. "I wonder how_ that_ happened?"

Crosell was unquestionably awake. His massive form was still draped across the raised podium, almost mistakable for a massive pile of rubble and rock at first glance, but his head was turned towards them, and his glowing eyes cut through dim light and dust, even at a distance.

"We should warn Nel-"

"And distract her?"

"But the Marquis-"

"Let's just hope he's enjoying the floor show," Maria suggested. Crosell's generosity and good cheer weren't worth a snowball's chance in these caves, but past history suggested that the air dragon might be enough of a bastard to sit back and watch two people try to kill each other. Besides, try though she might, she couldn't recall the dragon's eyes _glowing_ the last time they had visited-

"By the way, what was wrong with Nel's runological signature?" Maria wanted to know.

"It's... changed," Clair replied shortly. "The concealment spell she's using can't be maintained while casting other spells. It is... different. Quite different than it used to be."

Maria nodded slowly, suspecting that the explanation was understating the matter somehow. But it explained something else - one of Clair's goals had been to force Nel to cast magic, that she might get a look at whatever was being hidden. "Well, I hope the look was worth it, because-"

-a clash of weaponry signified that someone had made a move, although it was impossible to tell who. Nor did it matter, for like a single snowflake setting off a thundering avalanche, both fighters began to attack each other in earnest, slashing and blocking with their respective weapons almost too fast for the eye to follow.

It was times like this, Maria admitted, that you had to give Albel Nox credit where it was due. Whatever the man's flaws in personality and temperament might be, his talent and ability in combat were not to be denied. From his movements to his blade-work to his claw-work, the warrior's fighting style was a macabre mixture of ballet, surgery, and demolition.

It was a style that could slide a blade through a paper-thin gap in an opponent's armour, or openly shred and crumple plate iron like cardboard. It was a style that let its wielder choose between tearing an opponent limb from limb, or bisecting them so cleanly they were the last to find out about it. It was a style that had unanimously branded its wielder, to both ally and enemy alike, as the strongest warrior alive.

Albel Nox was being driven back.

Even as Maria watched, she could see Albel slowly giving ground before Nel's assault. Every attack he made, no matter how expertly aimed, was dodged or parried by one of Nel's weapons; every return attack he intercepted was done so by a hairsbreadth. His attempts to charge and push her off-balance were rebuffed and avoided, and his last attempt had almost earned him a broken kneecap.

"She's winning..." Clair whispered, voice laden with disbelief.

Slowly, almost absent-mindedly, Maria nodded in agreement. Nel's fighting style lacked the fluid grace that characterized Albel's; in its place, there was a certain machine-like ruthlessness behind every slice or stab, a certain inorganic patience behind every block or parry.

"But... HOW?"

Because she'd become stronger, Maria didn't say, the realization piecing itself together even as she watched. Because three months ago, Nel had been forced to learn how to fight a whole new breed of opponents. She'd been thrown headfirst into an alien world, where if she stopped, faltered, or missed... she would die.

Computerized security systems that couldn't and wouldn't grow tired or feel pain, covered with heavy armour, armed with gatling guns that could shred flesh like confetti and guided missiles that could seek out the most evasive targets with ease.

Eldritch creatures whose eyes were outnumbered only by their tentacles, who could effortlessly shrug off physical attacks, twist elemental forces to their own designs, and leech away their victims' very life force.

Beings from an alternate universe with all the eccentricities and failings of humanity at large, but possessing the power and knowledge to create and destroy entire universes.

And now that she had returned to her old world... "I think," Maria muttered under her breath, "that Albel's made a big mistake..."

-and then, with a minute overextension on Albel's part, the fight was over. Nel's foot swept out, catching Albel's knee and sending him tumbling to the ground. Even as Albel's claw lashed out to catch his fall, Nel hooked one of her weapons behind his sword, then smashed her other into the junction of the hilt and blade.

A metallic _ting_ was heard, even as Nel spun away from him, her elbow catching Albel on the backspin, knocking him off-balance again. Albel lashed out with his claw but Nel drove her knee into him hard enough to knock him off both feet, even as she threw herself forwards again-

-a shriek of metal-against-metal, as Nel drove the point of one blade through the metal of Albel's arm-

-a quiet tinkle of metal-against-rock, as the business half of Albel's blade finished spinning away into a shadowed corner of the cave-

-a muffled thump of flesh-on-stone, as Albel hit the ground under Nel's knee, her one blade driven solidly through his metal hand and into the rock beneath, her other blade now pressed to the side of his neck-

-silence.

Beside her, Clair could be heard to exhale slowly, hardly daring to believe what she had just borne witness to.

Maria nodded slowly as she began to approach the scene. In hindsight, the fight had probably been over before it had even begun.

**+-+-+**

The expression on Albel's face almost defied description. The way his facial features had hardened, even as his head tilted sideways under the gentle pressure of Nel's weapon, even as he met her glare weight for weight, even as he still grasped the hilt of his broken sword. For her part, Nel merely waited, breathing heavily, but otherwise unscathed from the recent exchange.

He'd lost, only a fool could possibly think otherwise. For all his faults, Albel Nox was no fool, and he hadn't achieved his skills or reputation by avoiding reality. The only real question was how he would respond to this surprise development...

"Where?" he finally demanded.

"Where _what_?"

"Where did you go?"

Nel frowned. "Somewhere else. Why do_ you_ care?"

Albel looked at her as though she had asked the stupidest question imaginable. "Because that's where_ I'll_ go."

A scowl. "Shut up, Nox. You don't have the faintest idea what you're talking about."

He glared back at her, an impressive feat under the circumstances. "What does that matter? My training here is clearly inadequate. So I'll go fight where _you_ were fighting-"

"Shut. Up." Nel snapped irritably.

"Where?" he demanded, even as the skin on his neck indented lightly under the knife's edge.

"You little..." Nel exhaled noisily. "You want to know where I've been?!? I've seen this entire world reduced to the size of a globe! I've seen our sun looking no bigger than just another star in the sky! I've travelled to places so far away they have to measure the distance using the speed of light! I've fought against devices that make the old stories of Greeton's machines look like children's toys! I've fought against creatures we've never ever heard of before! I've even fought against GODS!"

Maria stifled a groan. This was heading in a BAD direction, she could tell...

"You understand, you bastard?" Nel snarled, her temper beginning to resurface in earnest. "_Goddamned GODS!!!_ The same ones we've both heard and read about while growing up! Self-proclaimed gods who thought we were nothing more than glorified puppets and dolls!"

"Do you take me for a fool?" Albel retorted.

"You think I'm lying?" Nel demanded. "What about you? I'll bet even a heathen like YOU was dedicated when you were newborn. Who was it to? Dima? Shar or Leiria? Aire or Oreas? Guess what? I've MET them!"

Just behind Maria, Clair let out a quiet gasp.

"But I'll bet YOU were dedicated to Solon," Nel guessed, her face taking on a nasty expression. "The legendary god who has never known defeat? Wielder of the mystical Blade of Mist? Protector of the people?"

Nel paused an instant, her smile completely at odds with the rest of her face. "Well, I have news for you... He's nothing more than a spindly, rat-faced gimp who would probably have trouble _lifting_ a real sword! He plays announcer for a carnival sideshow, has an endless supply of bad jokes, and probably hasn't seen sunlight in over a decade!!! And he's one of the less-embarrassing ones!"

"Oh shit," Maria muttered under her breath, the situation beginning to become _painfully_ clear. Odessa was going to FREAK when she heard about this...

"We even fought against their leader!" Nel snapped. "A self-proclaimed creator who thought that our entire existence had outlived its usefulness and needed to be erased!"

By this point, Albel's face was beginning to lose its scepticism.

"AND WE WON!!!" Nel yelled, the shout echoing off the cavern walls. "Do you understand me? We won! It wasn't easy, it was damn close, but we WON!!!"

"Apris..." Clair whispered.

Letting go of the blade that still pinned Albel's gauntlet to the ground, Nel yanked him upwards by the collar around his neck. "And this whole time, where were YOU?" she continued coldly. "Up in this forsaken cave, swinging at shadows? While we were fighting a near-hopeless battle for our own lives and the rest of creation? The one time that you and your damned battlelust and fight-mongering could have been useful? _WHERE THE HELL WERE YOU?!?_

"I remember talking with Fayt, you know," Nel continued relentlessly. "Remember Fayt? That nice boy who thought everything would be nice if everybody was nice? He actually tried to convince me that you weren't as bad as everybody thought! He said that you actually gave a damn about other people, that your whole reason for fighting was to protect your people!"

Nel's smile reappeared, looking unkinder than ever. "He's a very naïve and ignorant person sometimes, isn't he? In fact, I think he probably_ still_ believes that bullshit you fed him. I didn't have the time or heart to disabuse him of the idea, and it's not like you even bothered showing your face again. But now that our entire existence is safe, and our countries are at peace, what do I find you doing? _Looking for more fights!_"

Nel gave him a shake, which Albel was too dumbfounded to resist by this point. "Why don't you go back home and see things for yourself? Tell your people that you're _happy_ that there's affordable food in the stores! Tell your people you're _happy_ that, even with the empty mines in Kirlsa, your entire country hasn't fallen into poverty! Tell your people you're _happy_ that soldiers can hang up their weapons and armour and become farmers and tradesmen! Tell them that, no matter how it actually happened, you're HAPPY things are peaceful and productive again!"

"You..." Albel seemed to be having trouble finding his voice. "You don't know what you're talking about-"

"-What I'm talking about?" Nel interrupted angrily. "I know EXACTLY what I'm talking about! Do you think I'm looking forward to getting ten times the paperwork and one-tenth the missions? Do you think I like the idea of rotting away like some useless noblewoman? But I don't care, because I AM happy!

"That's why I'm _happy_ that instead of suggesting we burn and salt the Arias plains, Lasselle is offering suggestions on how to let the mining and farming operations work together! That's why I'm _happy_ that Woltar and Clair are making plans to have our armies exchange divisions and work together, even though we were trying to kill each other three months ago! That's why I'm _happy_ that one of my friends is actually going to be marrying your king!"

Nel pulled harder on Albel's collar, until the knife driven through his metal arm pulled back. "Understand, you son-of-a-bitch? Even if these peaceful times are making my skills useless, I'm HAPPY! In fact, I'd be overjoyed if my skills were never needed again! But YOU obviously can't say the same, can you?"

With a quick jerk, Nel shoved Albel back to the ground. Stomping on his metal arm, she yanked her blade free of its confines, before stepping away and sheathing both her weapons. "Now get out of my sight," she ordered, "before I DO stain my blades with your blood. I didn't come all this way for _your_ company."

Turning to level a venomous glare towards both Clair and Maria- "I came to ask some questions. _Alone_."

"I..." Clair swallowed. "I am not going anywhere," she retorted, her voice remarkably composed after the earlier revelations. "But _please_, don't let us stop you from asking what you came to ask."

Nel shifted her gaze towards Maria.

**+-+-+**

For her part, Maria simply weathered the redhead's accusing stare silently, her expression neither confrontational nor apologetic. Her blaster was still loose in its holster, but Maria didn't even consider bluffing with it to be an option. Clair's 'brute force' approach had clearly failed; it was time to try a more diplomatic approach (as she'd suggested from the start).

Unfortunately, the chances of initiating such an approach were slim to none, thanks to the combined efforts of Clair and Albel. Like it or not, Maria knew that she couldn't help but be associated with them, and any attempts to proclaim her own peaceful intentions would sound weak, probably doing more harm than help. On top of that, the intensity of Nel's gaze indicated that she knew _exactly_ who was responsible for her being found in the first place.

On the plus side, Maria hadn't missed the emotions behind Nel's earlier outburst - it had clearly been a difficult and frustrating three months for Nel Zelpher, even as she single-handedly searched for answers to questions that underdeveloped planets should never have to deal with. And Maria was from a people with knowledge and technology far beyond what this planet could offer, and she was here, available for the asking... all that was needed was for Nel to provide an opening. Just a hint of willingness to listen...

"This was none of your business," Nel muttered darkly.

"It shouldn't have been anybody's business," Maria agreed calmly. "But we were the people thrown into the middle of it, and we're the ones left with the repercussions."

"I thought you people had rules about visiting planets like this?"

"And those rules have loopholes and exceptions that might let us help."

"Wasn't enough damage caused the first time?"

"The first time, circumstances _forced_ us to interact with you." The brief flush on Nel's face indicated that she hadn't forgotten who had done some of the 'forcing' at first. "This time, I'm simply making the offer. Unless..." And here, Maria gave a sidelong glance towards the behemoth at the end of the cavern, "...you think someone else will be more accommodating?"

Nel followed the glance, taking in the waiting air dragon. At best, the only thing 'accommodating' about Crosell was his stomach. "...I didn't come here to fight."

No, Maria agreed silently, but she had been more than ready to accept the offers from both Clair and Albel. Three months of trying to answer impossible questions could do that to a person, as she well knew. You started to welcome the distractions and diversions that made themselves known, because _they_ offered the possibility of tangible solutions. "Of course not. But if I had something important at stake, I don't know that I'd want to put all my faith in Crosell's good will and generosity."

For an instant, Nel hesitated.

"Your land is at peace," Maria reminded her. "There's never going to be a better time to deal with problems like this. I'm here, making this offer, but it's entirely your choice. Say the word, and I'll turn around and leave you alone, to your own means. But say the word, and I'll do whatever I can to help you out."

Nel hesitated again, but there was a hint of something new in her expression, that had been completely absent until now.

"We both fought in that battle," Maria reminded Nel softly, pressing her point home. "And trust me, you're not the only one who wound up with some hard questions afterwards. Maybe they're not the same questions, but that doesn't make them any easier to answer. And unfortunately, I can't even promise that I have the answers to your questions. But I've spent the last three months studying under some good teachers, and I can at least say that I've become better at asking the questions. Speaking from personal experience, you might find that to be a good place to start."

Like Clair, Nel was a soldier, not a diplomat, and despite her stern demeanour, Maria could see signs of distress underneath. Frustration was easy to spot, but there was also evidence of other emotions beginning to make themselves known. Anger, desperation, weariness... but at the same time, just maybe a spark of hope...

Maria waited.

Nel finally sighed, the sound carrying easily across the deathly silent cavern. "I'm here now," she whispered. There was something else underneath the statement, not an outright rejection of Maria's offer, but perhaps an apology of sorts. "I have to try."

In reply, Maria offered an understanding smile, to show that no offence was taken, nor was the offer being withdrawn. Besides, Maria had a healthy appreciation for experience, and there was no telling what kind of knowledge you might accumulate over seven hundred years. "Then why don't we go see what he has to say?" she suggested.

For an instant, Nel looked surprised, an inkling of gratitude showing in her expression. Then her face hardened again. "I'll do the asking."

Considering Nel's diplomatic record over the last fifteen minutes, there a few big reasons to suggest otherwise. On the other hand, someone who had just single-handedly taken on both Clair and Albel in battle was probably entitled to the chance to actually do what she'd come for. And if Crosell was still harbouring a grudge against them for his earlier defeat, or simply in a bad mood...

After a moment of silence, Maria finally gestured for Nel to lead the way, falling into step a short distance behind. She did, however, double-check her blaster.

The earlier exchanges had brought the visitors considerably closer to Crosell's resting place, which did nothing save make a big dragon appear much, much bigger still. In fact, if Maria hadn't known better, she would have sworn Crosell WAS bigger than last time. She might have dismissed the notion as fanciful, but it had been only three months since she'd been here last, and she had always had a good recollection for details. Had he filled up so much of the podium last time? Had his claws been that long? Had his head been that big? Had his teeth had so much trouble fitting inside his mouth?

His eyes definitely hadn't been glowing last time.

They were doing so now, looking like nothing so much as a pair of red-hot furnace openings set in his head, rather than simple optical organs. Occasionally, they would flicker in a fashion that suggested blinking, but even at their dimmest, there was no suggestion of anything resembling organic eyes. Despite this lack of detail, the dragon's stare retained an intensity that was almost physical in strength.

Approximately twenty metres away, near the bottom of the steps leading up to the podium, Nel came to a halt. Briefly dropping to one knee, she rose and stood rigidly before him. "Your Excellency, I apologize for this intrusion, and for disturbing the sanctity of your dwelling place."

Maria breathed a sigh of relief. Apparently there _was_ somebody else on Elicoor II besides the Queen who could be diplomatic when occasion demanded. Hopefully it would be enough...

With an audible creak of oversized scales, accompanied with a stirring of dust, Crosell lifted his massive head to fix the humans with his gaze. **"Speak."**

Maria frowned, shaking off the sensation of the command echoing through her body. Even the first time, Crosell had possessed what an optimist would call 'stage presence', and a realist would call 'a voice that could register on the Richter scale'. But this second time, like so much else, something seemed... different about it. It was far stronger and more pronounced in tone, even more authoritative in nature, more liable to make the average person void their bladder in response.

"I-" Nel took in a deep breath, clearly not entirely immune to the aforementioned characteristics. Craning her neck to look the air dragon in the eye - despite him still sitting - she cleared her throat. "A great deal has happened since I last visited here, seeking your assistance," she began, "and I'm not even certain how to describe everything that I've seen, because I understand only a little of it.

"I've left this world of ours, and I've travelled to other worlds and places. And while I was there, I saw and heard many things... which I can't explain or understand. I've searched through every library in our land, and talked with many scholars, but I've found no answers. So I've travelled here, in hopes that you might know something-"

Abruptly, Crosell swung his head sideways. With a sharp cough, the dragon spat a massive ball of white-hot flame towards the wall. The fire hit the wall like a jet of water through tissue paper, not so much melting as _dissolving_ the rock it hit, even as Maria's quad-scanner beeped frantically in warning. The resulting tunnel in the wall was far larger than the fireball had been, its walls dripping wet and glowing furiously, and its end was far out of sight.

Even as she glanced downwards at the scanner, Maria didn't bother acting surprised at the 'unknown energy' readings. She knew what fire-breath from an air dragon looked like, and that hadn't been remotely close. Which demanded an explanation in itself, Maria knew, since biological creatures weren't supposed to spit 'unknown energy' from their mouth. Not the kind that effortlessly consumed solid rock without leaving any remains behind.

_"Maria,"_ Odessa's voice crackled over the belt-mounted communicator._ "I hope you're receiving this. The sensor array just picked up a contained energy surge from within the mountain, in your region. It can't get an accurate reading, but it spiked at an energy magnitude of approximately one-point-one, and it's presently holding stable at just over point-seven-"_

Swinging his head back towards them, Crosell's gaze met Maria's, if only for an instant. Without any actual words being spoken, the look seemed to convey that the air dragon knew damn well what kind of information her scanner and Odessa were giving her, while at the same time, imply that he would have no trouble providing a MUCH BIGGER reading if the mood took him.

_"-and it's detecting a localized dimensional distortion in the same area. It can't narrow it down any further, but unless you know otherwise about the source of the energy, you should probably leave the area immediately-"_

Maria looked up the 'source of the energy'. Running would probably be both ill-advised and useless at this point. Besides, it was clear that Crosell wanted their undivided attention for the moment.

He definitely had it.

Nel didn't look any happier as Crosell's stare returned to her. She had gone silent the instant Crosell had acted, her mouth snapping shut in mid-sentence, even as she tensed for evasive action.

For the moment, however, she stood her ground.

**"Maiden of Elicoor."**

**+-+-+**

**"Maiden of Elicoor."**

Nel swallowed, even as she straightened slightly.

**"I know your reasons for seeking me out,"** the air dragon intoned, **"and I know what manner of questions you bring with you."**

"Y-yes, I-"

**"You left this planet,"** Crosell continued, ignoring her. **"And journeyed to other worlds among the stars. You travelled to another universe, one where the inhabitants believed this universe to be nothing more than a game. You encountered beings that wore your gods' names, claiming to be this universe's creators."**

Wordlessly, Nel nodded.

**"And when some of them sought to remove you from existence, you and your comrades opposed their designs, emerging victorious in the end."**

Another nod, her eyes wide.

**"And now you have returned to this world, with unanswered questions. You wish to understand your existence. You question your beliefs and those of your people."** Crosell leaned forwards, his stare fixing her where she stood. **"You. Doubt. Your. Gods."**

To see how Nel flinched at the last statement, it was a thoroughly damning accusation. Swallowing, she finally nodded weakly. "I... I need to know the truth. Please, I ask-"

**"I will answer nothing."**

Nel paled. "But-"

**"I will answer nothing,"** Crosell repeated firmly.

"Please, Your Excellency," Nel pleaded, her composure beginning to crack. "There _is_ no one else. I _need_ to know-"

**"If you truly desire answers, you will have to find them yourself."** The air dragon shifted in place, his scales grinding audibly against the hard stone underneath. **"I will say only this - are you so arrogant as to assume that you now understand everything? Do you immediately assume that everything you believed is empty? Because you have seen things beyond your limited comprehension? Because your world is no longer as small as you were taught? Because your gods were shown to be less than you believed?**

**"Must a god be absolutely omnipotent and omniscient to satisfy you? Are you unwilling to pay heed to anything less? Are the teachings of your gods suddenly meaningless? Are the gifts they bestowed upon your people now worthless?"**

Nel's mouth opened, but she appear to be at a loss to formulate a reply.

**"Your problems are your own,"** Crosell declared, his voice echoing in both the listeners' ears and the cavern at large, **"and I feel no need to alleviate your uncertainties. But I will give you a warning - heed or ignore it as you will. Just because YOUR gods were not absolute, do not be so quick to make that assumption about reality at large.**

**"There exist higher powers than what you faced, Maiden of Elicoor, and they have their own designs on reality. This world, among countless others, was chosen and set apart by these powers... and their efforts appear to have borne fruit. You may begrudgingly celebrate your kingdom's newfound peace... but you would be ill-advised to cast aside the warrior spirit that has been forged within you. And you would be foolish to ignore the machinations that have led up to this point.**

**"Contemplate THAT if you wish,"** the dragon concluded, his booming voice lowering to a deep rumble. **"I have nothing more to say to you."**

Nel sagged like a puppet whose strings had been cut, suddenly looking like she had aged fifty years in the last five minutes. "Please..." she whispered.

_"Then why don't you talk with ME instead?"_

**+-+-+**

"Then why don't you talk with ME instead?"

Crosell's head immediately shifted to face the new speaker, even as Maria stepped past Nel to approach the podium herself.

"For starters," she began, "who are YOU?"

The dragon's eyes narrowed, their glow intensifying sharply. **"Impudence."**

Maria ignored the accusation, coming to a halt at the very edge of the massive steps, and looking up at him evenly. In contrast to the calm and tranquil voice she had used with Nel earlier, her speech had taken on a much stronger tone, one that belied her stature. "The Crosell that _I_ remember called Nel a 'Maiden of Aquaria', not 'Elicoor'. And he was smaller. And he _lost_ to us."

Saying the last part irked Maria a little (which was to say, she doubted things would go as well against_ this_ Crosell), but there was probably no shame in admitting your inability to defeat something whose breath registered on the energy magnitude scale. "So who are you, really?"

Crosell snorted disdainfully, twin tongues of fire momentarily spurting from his nostrils. **"Foolish human. The kingdoms of this world name me 'The Marquis' and the 'Lord of the Air Dragons'. I gave you the name 'Crosell'. What is in a name? I am who I am, and could not care less what titles others think to bestow upon me."**

_"Maria,"_ Odessa's voice came again, _"The readings began to increase a few seconds ago. The energy levels just exceeded magnitude one-point-six, and they are showing no signs of subsiding... Not to tell you what to do, but I _do_ hope you're making your way to a location where the transporter can reach-"_

**"What of yourself?"** Crosell suddenly demanded, drowning out the communication. **"Are you a warrior? A student? A mediator? A leader?"** A slight pause in his speech, then, **"...a forbidden weapon that would defy a god?"**

Maria forced her hands to unclench. "That... depends on the situation."

**"So it is with myself, I merely choose which mask to present. What of yourself? What mask do you wear before me?"**

"Right now, I'm here as the leader of a taskforce sent to visit this planet-"

**"Bah. Such a grandiose term for only two individuals and their small vessel."**

"I'm just stating the facts," Maria replied evenly, refusing to further dignify the dragon's sudden insights into things not of this planet. "And as leader of the taskforce, I've been given authorization to offer limited assistance, insofar as some earlier events are concerned. Since you seem to be in a position to offer knowledge, but don't wish to, I'm curious as to your reasons."

_"Maria, the readings are now at two-point-four..."_ Odessa's voice supplied, a hint of tremor now becoming audible in her voice.

**"I don't care enough to,"** Crosell informed her bluntly.

It was almost refreshing, Maria reflected, to argue with someone who didn't bother pretending to be nice. Besides, it occupied her mind so that she didn't have to think harder about the implications of the numbers Odessa was giving her. What was magnitude 2.4... twenty or thirty times the output of the most powerful Federation weapons?

"You haven't even tried to find a reason," she pointed out reasonably. "You haven't made any suggestions of trade or exchange for the knowledge that you possess. Assuming you even possess it, of course."

A disdainful snort. **"You think to appeal to my pride, foolish human? As though you, or anyone else, could possibly offer me anything of value?"**

_"Three-point-two,"_ Odessa murmured._ "Now would be a good time to start running..."_

"Heaven forbid we try to second-guess you, _Your Excellency_," Maria soothed, not entirely sincerely, and in complete disregard to Odessa's information. After all, if things went bad, there was a limit to how dead you could become. "But I can't help but think that you're not _entirely_ indifferent towards us humans. After all," she pointed out with a disturbingly Cliff Fitter-esque smirk, "if I'm to take this new 'mask' of yours at face value, the last time we met, you _threw_ a fight and let a group of 'foolish humans' strap a clumsy weapon on your back and ride you into battle like an oversized flying horse."

Crosell's eyes flared like a pair of miniature supernovas, even as a searing jet of flame roared over the heads of the humans present, blanketing the cave in an intense wash of blinding light and scorching heat. Shards of rock scattered as his forearms clenched, his front claws - each longer than Maria was tall - slicing into the leading edges of the stone podium without the slightest hint of resistance. **"You DARE presume as to my motivations, human?"** he thundered angrily. **"My knowledge both surpasses and predates your pathetic civilizations, and it is MINE to dispense at MY whim!"**

_"...SPIKED, Maria! Five-point-seven and still rising fast! GET OUT OF-"_

"Does that even matter?" Maria inquired calmly, turning down the volume on her communicator. Specks of dust floated downwards, even as pebbles and small rocks bounced quietly off the ground after having been dislodged from the ceiling. The entire room had taken on a reddish hue, Crosell's breath having superheated the surface of the side and back walls to their melting point in an instant. She wrinkled her nose at the stench of brimstone and burning sulphur, even as sweat ran down her forehead, even as she forced herself to remain standing still and unaffected.

"If you're refusing to offer anything," she pointed out, "what does it matter how much you actually know?"

Silence.

Crosell stared down balefully.

Maria stared up expectantly.

**"Amusement, human,"** the dragon finally growled. **"Earlier, your group struggled as well as could be expected for your kind, so I assisted you for no other reason than my own amusement."**

Maria glanced over towards Nel briefly, before returning her gaze to the cavern's owner. "She's been struggling for three months now. Is there something more that you're still expecting from her?"

**"This time,"** Crosell smugly informed her, **"I see far more amusement in not helping."**

Yes, Maria reflected inwardly, it was almost refreshing to deal with an outright bastard for a change. Almost. "So there's nothing I can say to make you change your mind about helping her?"

**"There is nothing. And you speak as though your motivation for interceding on her behest is entirely benevolent. Will you claim that you did not entertain thoughts of having your own questions answered?"**

"I haven't asked any questions of my own," Maria pointed out.

**"No, you have not,"** Crosell agreed, his voice mocking. **"But in the end, you care nothing for these peoples' gods. What of your own dilemmas? Would any information I provided mean anything? Would you have accepted the word of one who told you that your entire existence was nothing but a figment, without seeing such for yourself? And if you COULD bring yourself to believe this, would you then accept the word of one who told you your existence would continue after the information was deleted?"**

Maria's expression was less than friendly, but she refrained from any knee-jerk responses. If Crosell wanted to play_ this_ game... well, she'd learned a few things under the tutelage of Mirage and her father. "If you're saying that I would be sceptical, you might be right. But blindly refusing to believe something is no better than blind belief. I can't decide whether or not to believe something until I know what it is in the first place, and I don't even have _that_ right now."

**"Well spoken. But are you certain you even wish to know the answers to your questions?"**

"And what do you mean by that?"

With one sudden movement, far too fast and smooth for such a massive creature to have managed, Crosell leaned forwards. In less than a second, his massive head was suddenly occupying the entirety of Maria's vision, his gaze meeting her own, with only the bridge of his nose and an arm's length of distance separating them. At the edges of her vision, the lines of the dragon's giant mouth could be seen, the gap revealing unnaturally sharp teeth with charcoal-coloured tips. Tongues of liquid-looking white - no flame moved like THAT - plasma leaked out from both sides of the massive jaws, the intense heat distorting the view of anything beyond, as though trying to look through ripples on a pond.

Maria crossed her arms resolutely, glaring upwards at him.

**"You question,"** the dragon rumbled, **"the nature of your old existence, and question the means of your current existence. You question the continued presence of your powers, despite the disappearance of those of your two friends. You question your origins, and whether or not they may hold answers to your other questions. You question your future destiny, and whether or not your powers are intended for something more. You question whether you are even free to determine the direction your life takes."**

_"Erm, Maria... the scanner is apparently... defective,"_ Odessa's voice came, sounding somewhat shaky._ "The computer claims that it's physically impossible for such a high energy concentration to exist in one location without causing the entire planet to shatter or disintegrate... But don't let that stop you from coming up to inspect the equipment yourself..."_

Almost absent-mindedly, Maria further reduced the volume on her communicator, even as she continued to meet Crosell's burning stare.

They'd challenged this reptile. This creature. This BEING. They'd beaten him and rejoiced at their hard-won victory, then strapped an experimental lightning gun to his back and flown him into battle against space battleships. And now he sat there, brandishing power levels in excess of what the known physical laws of the universe should permit, taunting them with knowledge that he had no business knowing, and the possibility of answers...

**"Do you believe,"** Crosell asked snidely, **"that this universe has further designs on your life?"**

Maria's eyebrow twitched.

**"What,"** he inquired, **"would you do if that were TRUE?"**

"My life," Maria snapped, "IS MY OWN!!! Now who are you? And how do you know these things? Never mind knowing things that no one from this planet should know, how do you know about the events that happened just recently?"

**"My means,"** Crosell replied smugly, **"are for me to know, and I feel no more inclined to assist you than I do your friend. And like her, I will give you a warning - heed or ignore it as you will. Your lineage, your upbringing, your training... they were no accident.**

**"There exist higher powers than what you faced, and they have their own designs on reality. You, among countless others, have been chosen and set apart by these powers... and their efforts appear to have borne fruit. Throughout your trials, you have developed strength, intelligence, and leadership, and have emerged as someone capable of effecting great changes upon your surroundings. These higher powers would call those qualities and traits their own, and they will surely act in due time. If they have not already begun..."**

The look on Maria's face hadn't become any friendlier. "You..."

**"You are welcome to go meditate on _that_ if you wish,"** Crosell informed her, resuming his original position at the top of the podium. **"Now, I tire of your antics. Leave this place at once."**

**+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+**

There was an old Earthling expression, that an 800-pound gorilla could sit wherever he wanted to. Whether that was true or not, when a 100-ton air dragon told you that you were no longer welcome in his lair, you DEFINITELY made yourself scarce. Accordingly, all four humans present had wasted little time in vacating Crosell's residence.

Albel had been the first to leave. He had remained silent since being on the receiving end of Nel's weapon and tongue-lashing, and scarcely afforded a glance back as he left ahead of the others. Under the circumstances, Maria could hardly blame him. Between his duel against Nel, coupled with witnessing the conversations afterwards... the Glyphian warrior had to be wondering what the hell was going on, and doubtlessly had no desire to remain in the same place as Nel any longer than necessary.

For her part, Maria had been the last to leave, having been closest to Crosell at the end, and having stopped at the doorway before finally exiting. The air dragon had laid down to rest again, but not yet closed his eyes. For one long moment, Maria glared at him across the expanse of floor, her own expression contriving to convey that she would have liked nothing better than to give him an antimatter enema in thanks for his 'help'. Whether he understood the message (probably), or even cared (probably not), she finally turned and left to catch up with the two Aquarians.

For now, Crosell and his not-very-veiled insinuations would simply be regulated to the list of concerns that couldn't be dealt with right this moment. Instead, Maria would worry about the problems that _could_ be dealt with. Starting with-

**Crunch**

Maria tensed briefly, but quickly relaxed once she spotted the source of the noise.

Several pebbles clattered to the ground, as Nel's gauntleted fist remained imbedded in the nearby rock wall. "...Dammit."

Clair stood only a few paces behind, but for the moment, she allowed the distance to remain.

The redhead's slumped body posture spoke volumes in itself, even as she continued to lean against the wall. "I don't know..." she whispered quietly, her voice thick with emotion.

"Nel..."

A quiet sniffle. "I just don't know," she repeated, mostly to herself. "I don't understand it and no one else does..."

Clair took a step forward, until she was within arm's length. "Nel... I don't understand everything either. And what I've just seen and heard... what you said to Albel, and what Crosell said to you... it sounds frightening. But please, I beg of you, don't run or hide..."

Nel shuddered slightly as her arm fell to her side. Another sniffle, this time louder.

"Nel..." Placing a hand on her shoulder, Clair gently turned Nel so that they were facing each other. Despite the redhead's unwillingness to meet her friend's gaze, the rapidly widening streaks of tears on her cheeks were plain to be seen. "Haven't we grown up together? Haven't we always been the best and closest of friends?" the silvette inquired softly. "Haven't we always trusted each other with our problems?"

Weakly, almost imperceptibly, Nel nodded.

"There have been so many times over the years that I've made demands of you," Clair continued softly. "And each and every time, you offered of yourself without hesitation, doing everything in your power to fulfill those demands... If I thought I could ever repay you, I would spend the rest of my life doing so."

Nel quivered, her gaze still focussed on the ground.

"I know that I'm far from perfect, and I know that this dilemma is probably beyond my knowledge and abilities. But even still... might you give me a chance?" Taking a step forwards, Clair closed the distance between them. "On my life, I swear that I'll do anything in my power to assist you... Please, won't you let me try?"

Like a dam finally bursting, Nel finally began to cry openly, even as Clair unhesitatingly pulled her into a comforting embrace. Letting the redhead sob into her shoulder, she leaned her own head down, her own eyes moist.

Within earshot, but out of their immediate field of vision, Maria silently exhaled, allowing herself to lean against the wall. She wasn't sure what to make of the two women's sudden change of heart and behaviour, but she wasn't about to complain or interrupt. As far as she was concerned, they could spend all day and night crying and hugging like this - as long as they didn't try and beat each other senseless again.

A discreet glance at her Quad-scanner told her that Albel was probably well away by this point, and that the energy emanating from Crosell earlier had faded into non-existence again. Just another thing to wonder about, she supposed. But that could wait until another time... Odessa was probably getting worried, or at the very least, impatient. Hopefully, she hadn't done anything too extreme...

"..._sorry_," Nel finally whispered, still clutching her friend's clothing as though she might collapse at any moment.

"So am I," Clair agreed quietly, her own arms encircling Nel tightly. "I should have known you would never have done something like this without grave reason. I should have been more patient and understanding."

"I didn't give you any reason to be."

"I didn't give you the chance."

"Things were so much simpler back then," Nel murmured sadly. "During the war. It was terrible... but at least everything made sense. Now..."

"I know," Clair agreed, a hint of wistfulness in her own voice. "I know. But these _are_ peaceful times now, to which we owe a great deal to your own efforts. So let us use these peaceful times to solve the problem that you've discovered. Let us talk with our Queen. She's been sick with worry, and beside herself with guilt. Please? Won't you come back?"

Nel's sigh was audible, a whole undercurrent of emotions contained within. "Do you really believe we can... solve it?"

"I can't say for certain. But I know that we have a wise and knowledgeable Queen who will listen and do everything in her power to help. And I know that we have some visitors from another world, who seem bound and determined to offer any assistance that their rules will allow. If there is a better time than now, I can't imagine when that might be."

"I'll..." Nel sighed again, but less forcefully. It spoke of someone who had run themselves ragged, run out of options, and was beginning to seriously wonder if they may have been running from the least of all the evils. "I'll return... to the castle."

Clair nodded once, turning her gaze questioningly towards the third person in the group.

Maria separated herself from the wall, approaching them with a satisfied look on her face. "Ready to go now, ladies? As soon we're out of these caves, we can transport right back to Aquios."

**+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+**

Fresh air was something all three individuals wasted no time in inhaling, once they emerged from the side of the mountain. If the air had grown steadily hotter and staler as they had progressed closer to the Urssa Lava Caves, it hadn't seemed to abate as they went the opposite direction. Only once they caught sight of the outside did the air quality improve noticeably.

It was a different exit than they had used to enter, and quite useless for anyone who thought to walk away from the mountains, but it had also been much closer to reach. As befitting someone whose job involved infiltrating foreign territory (and escaping afterwards), Nel's recall for structural layouts was impeccable, and her memory of the first expedition into these caves was still fresh in her mind.

The sun had set by this point, only the faintest hint of red light peeking over the surrounding mountain ridges to help them tell which steps were secure and which would prove fatal. Fortunately, none of them intended to leave the region by foot...

Flipping open her communicator, Maria tapped a button. "Maria to Odessa, do you copy?"

For a moment, there was silence. Then- _"MARIA!?!"_

"Not so loud," Maria chided in amusement. "Sorry for the delay, we were held up a little. On the bright side, you're going to love the camera footage."

A rather loud (and peeved) exhalation transmitted quite clearly across the communicator. _"Is that so?"_

"I'll explain everything later, trust me."

_"I'll hold you to that, you can be certain. I'm detecting two other life forms with you, and two of you are wearing the armour substance we were tracking. Am I to assume that the mission was a success?"_

"That's right. We've retrieved Nel, and we're all unharmed."

_"Shall I transport you all to Aquios, then?"_

"Actually, if you could transport Nel and Clair to an isolated location approximately ten kilometres south of Aquios? They want to walk back to the capital."

_"Begging your pardon?"_

"It's fine," Maria assured her, glanced over towards Nel. The walk out of the cave had been almost deafeningly silent, save for the one instance of Nel making the request.

Put her one hour South of the city, she had asked. Simply to give herself a chance to think and cool down, she had claimed. Clair could go with her, if they had any doubts about her heading directly towards the capital. "I hear it's a nice evening for a stroll," Maria added helpfully.

_"Very well,"_ the Tetrageniot replied, her voice clearly implying that Maria's comedy act still needed more work. _"You'll have to give me a moment to pick out an uninhabited area."_

"No problem. Let me know when you're ready."

_"Understood."_

Closing the communicator, Maria turned her full attention to Nel, who had doubtlessly heard the entire conversation. "So we'll just give her a moment to find a good spot to transport you both."

"Thank-you," Nel agreed.

"So if you'll just take _this_," Maria continued, pressing a small object into Nel's hand. "This is a general-purpose transporter beacon. Open the cover and press the button in the centre for three seconds, and it will send out a signal to my ship. Use it when you've arrived back at the castle, and are ready for us to come down. We'll use this beacon as a guide to transport down to you. Try to do it in an area without many people."

Nel nodded. "I will do that. And I appreciate your assistance in this matter."

"No trouble at all," Maria assured her. "Although I must say, this is certain unexpected. I'm sure you never mentioned this before...?"

Nel had the grace to flush. "There were... other issues to be dealt with at the time."

"Perhaps. But those issues are dealt with, and we're dealing with this issue now, understood?"

A nod.

_"I've found a location, Maria."_

Taking a few quick steps away from the other two - "I'm clear. Go ahead and transport them. And bring me back up the to ship afterwards."

_"Understood."_

Several seconds later, Nel and Clair dissolved in a wash of blue light. A short pause, and then Maria felt the transporter effect take her as well.

**+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+**

The silhouette of Aquios' walls came into view, the transporter's blue haze being replaced by an orange version, the setting sun now partially above the horizon.

"I'm not sure I could ever get used to that," Clair admitted, discreetly looking herself over, as though she expected parts to be missing or damaged.

"Me neither," Nel admitted. "And I've had some experience with it before. They once tried explaining to me how it works, but that just made it sound even worse."

"I'm sure."

Nel looked the area over briefly. As promised, there was no one in sight to see them appearing out of thin air, which eliminated one concern. The city itself looked to be rather distant...

"I believe that we may have more than an hour's walk ahead of us," Clair mused consideringly.

Nel nodded idly. She didn't know how long a 'kilometre' was, much less ten of them, but she was fairly certain that it took more than an hour to walk them. "There may have been too many people closer to the city."

"Or perhaps she overestimated how fast we can walk."

"Maybe."

Seeing Nel's distracted expression, Clair gently turned her face-to-face, clasping her by the shoulders. "You won't be facing this by yourself, Nel. Remember that. As upset as some of us may be over this business, we've all been terribly worried about you, and we will stand alongside you to address this matter. Even Lasselle is concerned."

The redhead managed a weak smile. "Liar."

"I didn't say that he admitted to it. He will scold and complain to no end, but even he has never been willing to believe you disloyal."

Nel sighed, closing her eyes. "I should never have gone to see Crosell. It was bad enough before, but now... Do you think he was telling the truth?"

"I don't understand everything the Marquis said," Clair admitted. "His words were quite... ominous. But in the end, it changes little. Let us bring this before our Queen, that she might put her knowledge and wisdom to the task. And let us invite our friends from another world, that they might offer what perspective they can on the matter. If there is an answer to be found, we will find it."

A silent nod.

"And no matter what may come, you will never face it alone." Ever so slightly, Clair's grip tightened. "You know that, right? Never alone."

Opening her eyes, Nel held Clair's gaze for several long moments. The silvette's intense expression was only slightly marred by the faint reddening of her cheeks. "I know," she replied firmly, placing one of her own hands firmly atop Clair's and squeezing. "Never alone."

"Shall we go then?"

"Let's go," Nel agreed, holding Clair's hand for several moments before finally releasing it. "Let's go home."

**+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+**

Upon Maria's re-materialization aboard the _Taeska Jare_, the first thing that grabbed her attention was Odessa. In fact, it was almost impossible to notice anything else, by virtue of the Tetrageniot standing less than an arm's length away, her arms crossed, and bestowing her distinctive triple-stare upon her. But you didn't lead Quark without learning to ignore unhappy people.

"Computer," Maria ordered sharply.

_"Yes, Ms. Traydor?"_ the male voice intoned promptly.

"Alert Odessa and myself when a transporter beacon signal is detected on the surface of Elicoor II. Continue interfacing with the scientific sensor array, and alert either of us if the target material comes within one hundred metres of the area designated as 'Aquios' or begins to head away from it. And make sure the clothing I was wearing earlier is ready to wear again."

_"As you command. Your clothing is ready to wear at this time."_

The diversion was enough to temporarily derail any demands from Odessa, allowing Maria to sidestep around her and off the transporter platform. "Maria, what-"

"The good news," Maria interrupted, "is that I don't think you need to worry about Nel telling her people much of what she saw while off-planet. I think she had a pretty good idea of the consequences herself, and hasn't told them much so far."

"Then what is the bad news?"

"She never bothered telling _me_ about what she saw either. It hit the fan. In a big way."

"Details?"

"Here," Maria offered, pushing the recorder unit into Odessa's hands. "Watch this recording, starting from a time-index fifteen minutes before you first detected those energy surges. Then we're going to brainstorm and try to figure out how to minimize the fallout from this."

"Fallout?" The look on Odessa's face was distinctly unhappy. "What happened?"

"Watch the recording," Maria repeated, heading for the exit. "Anything that I tell you will make more sense afterwards. We have until Nel and Clair reach the capital to think of something, which I'm hoping will take almost two hours. Right now, I'm going to take a shower and get back into some diplomatic plainclothes."

Not bothering to get a confirmation from Odessa, Maria let the doors to the transporter room close behind her as she set a direct vector for her personal quarters. She would apologize for her curtness later on, but right now, she wanted nothing more than a hot shower, a change of clothing, and some coffee. Actually, her first choice would have involved some thermonuclear mines being 'accidentally' dropped down Crosell's volcano, but that wasn't an option at the moment.

Deftly snapping her uniform's clasps apart as she entered her quarters, Maria shed the weighty clothing with practiced ease, her throw hitting the open laundry compartment squarely.

"Computer, give me some stronger soap."

_"Intended use?"_

"Something that works on sulphur and brimstone."

Snagging the bottle that helpfully appeared the room's replicator with one hand, she sent her undergarments following after her uniform with her other hand. "And make sure you give the clothing the same treatment," she added as she entered the shower.

The shower's control knob was hit with more force than strictly necessary, but Maria was quickly enveloped in a high-pressure blast of hot water, working to peel away the built-up dirt and grime picked up in the Urssa Lava Caves, in tandem with judicious applications from the bottle. And if she was scrubbing harder than she normally would have, that only helped speed up the process.

Bastard.

Did she believe that the universe had further designs on her life, Crosell had asked. And what would she do if that were that true?

Bastard.

Taunting her with facts that he had no business knowing. Blatantly clear knowledge of Maria's history, her presence on this world, and the Federation's planetary nomenclature, to say nothing of the mechanics of the 4D universe. References to only Fayt and Sophia's powers disappearing and insinuations that hinted at Dr. Esteed's suggestion that she might have some Expellian ancestry...

Bastard.

Manipulation? Then 'Exhibit A' would be _Something_ calling itself 'Crosell', posing as an air dragon and THROWING an earlier fight and letting them flail about against Vendeeni battleships with their rickety Thunder Arrow.

'Exhibit B' would be now, with that same _Something_ putting on another act, right down to his 'angry outburst', as though an uncontrolled energy surge in excess of magnitude six would leave the entire planet in any condition other than 'subatomic'. If the sensor readings were to be believed, he could have gone through the biggest of the Executioners like a disruptor through tissue paper. He probably could have stopped the Vendeeni battleships by _sneezing_.

An elaborate deception? There was nothing wrong with a little healthy paranoia, but there _were_ limits. The power readings? Maria had inspected and initialized the sensor array herself, and confirmed that the memory and program banks were completely empty. His knowledge? Crosell had known things that she had learned only days earlier and hadn't shared with anyone since.

It didn't FEEL like a hoax. Even now, she could still feel the weight of Crosell's gaze, the dragon's orbs burning with a raw intensity normally found inside the hearts of star cores and supernovas. The dragon's presence had fairly saturated the entire cavern, to the point that it took a conscientious effort to simply concentrate and reply to his words. Something like that, Maria suspected, didn't _need_ to lie or bluff, because the truth was far more impressive and took less effort.

And Crosell claimed that her entire life had been influenced or controlled by a higher power? Something above and beyond Luther? Was that even possible? Did any such thing even exist?

She'd been used and manipulated by the Federation, but it had been a clumsy effort and done by leaders who could see no other possibility for their own people's survival. The good of the many outweighed the good of the few, many would have claimed. You could almost excuse that kind of reasoning. Almost.

But to believe that her entire life had been subject to manipulation? Young though she was, she'd already been through a lot in her lifetime. Her still-unknown birth circumstances, Dr. Leingod's experiments, the Aldian War, being orphaned (again), being rescued by Quark, the emergence of her Alteration powers, taking command of Quark, the Creator War... all significant events that had helped make her who she was today. The idea of an unknown 'someone' or 'something' deliberately orchestrating all these events seemed ludicrous...

And what if Crosell's other claim was true? That those same 'higher powers' intended to act against her? To 'Call her qualities and traits their own'? To _use_ her for their purposes?

Maria's fingers whitened as she clenched her fists. She'd worked with the Federation because even she had to concede that Luther was a far worse threat. But that business was over and done with, the universe existed and was safe... and her life was her own to live, however she might choose. And if anything... ANYTHING thought it could dictate otherwise to her...

...She'd show them.

**+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+**

**+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+**

Author's Notes:

Last chapter, I promised Nel and fighting, and by golly, you get both! I didn't promise what year the chapter would come out, and by golly, I hope you're not surprised. Nothing but writer's block and work to blame, I'm afraid.

Now that Nel has made her appearance, I should probably insert a quick disclaimer. She had some serious frustration to let off, but she won't normally be THIS angry or profane. Originally, the fight/argument scenes between Nel and Albel were going to show up in my earlier 'Points of View' fic, but I finally decided against it, even though there were a few people expressing curiosity about whether I was going to do a piece on Nel reacting to learning who the 4D people were. My main reason was simply that the style of that story would have basically limited it to a basic angst-fest, without giving me a chance to properly resolve the problem. This larger, more in-depth story will give me a chance at doing all that, as well as get around to providing some answers and conclusions to it all.

I should probably also insert a disclaimer regarding Albel. Obviously, his scenes here were loosely based off the game PA's, albeit with Nel handling things a lot differently than Fayt did. Some people get touchy about the treatment of their favourite characters, I realize. In my defence, I am not a character basher (Making fun of Adray doesn't count) and this is NOT an Albel-bashing fic. All I can say is that while not a central character, Albel will definitely have his own story throughout this fanfic; this simply marks the beginning of the journey.

Until next time...

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End Chapter 2-B


	6. Part 2C

There were many hallmarks of civilization.

Different people would give different answers, but they would mean the same thing - something that set humanity apart from what came before, redefining it and sending it down a course that would have otherwise remained forever hidden. Fire. Agriculture. The seven simple machines. Religion. Art. Bureaucracy. Medicine. Currency. The Microprocessor. Space-travel. Reality shows. And all would be good answers.

Yet, despite the importance of the aforementioned facets, Maria knew better. The REAL defining aspect of civilization, the aspect that set humanity apart from their earlier and animal ancestors...

Coffee. Really. Honest.

There was no other possibility that came close. Because after scrubbing away what felt like her own body weight in sulphur and ash, and drinking a big mug of her own personal blend, Maria felt GOOD. Really good. Like she could roll up her metaphorical sleeves, gird her metaphorical loins, and get her metaphorical hands dirty with an impending planet-wide theological crisis, all to help discover a solution that would make a difference for the better. Like she could manage it all in less than two hours.

The last detail was important, because the theological crisis wasn't the least bit metaphorical, and neither was the time limit. And that was why, even as she strode purposefully onto the bridge of the _Taeska Jare_, Maria held a second mug of coffee in one hand. There was no sense in taking chances, after all.

Odessa Vectra was seated in the captain's chair, her undivided attention presently focussed on the main viewer screen, which was set to the task of replaying what Maria's recording device had seen in the Urssa Lava Caves. Maria could tell, because the on-screen image consisted entirely of Crosell's mug shot, with no room for anything else. Considering how long it had been since she left to shower, Maria guessed that Odessa had probably seen the entire recording, and was simply replaying key portions of it. It wasn't hard to understand her pausing it at this particular point.

"Replaying the best parts?" she inquired lightly, stepping around to stand next to Odessa's position.

Odessa twitched slightly as she was alerted to the other's presence. "My sister regaled me with many of your virtues, Maria, but she neglected to mention your complete lack of self-preservation instincts."

"I don't think it's as bad as you're making it out to be," Maria protested.

Odessa pointedly looked back at the _Mona Crosell_, complete with its one-of-a-kind smile.

"...They say the camera adds ten tons."

**+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+**

**A Question of Fate**

A** Star Ocean: TTEOT fanfic **by** Intrasonic**

**Part 2-C**

'Because nothing says 'mutual respect' and 'profound thanks' like classifying your friends as a primitive anthropology exhibit.'

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Disclaimer: 'Star Ocean: Till the End of Time' is copyrighted by Square-Enix/Tri-Ace. This work of fanfiction is being written for enjoyment and in homage to the original work, and no profit is being made from it.

**+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+**

"Is that so?" Odessa inquired dryly, clearly unamused. "And when you referred to the other ninety tons as an 'over-sized flying horse'?"

"Calculated risk."

"I hadn't realized you were schooled in suicidal mathematics."

"Negotiations were in a deadlock, and I was trying to get the dialogue moving again."

"You diplomats... you're as bad as my sister. Setting aside the fact that I have yet to hear of a successful negotiation that involved the use of a flame-thrower..." The Tetrageniot rolled her eyes, although a less-refined individual probably would have shown less restraint. "What, may I ask, is the 'diplomatic' way of classifying this situation with Elicoor II?"

"Us 'diplomatic' types," Maria informed her wryly, "call it 'deep shit'. What's the archaeological term for it?"

Odessa muttered something foreign and sharp-syllabled under her breath.

"I'm sorry?"

"It's ancient Genesian. The Standard translation isn't for the ears of anyone under the age of sixty."

"...Right. So we're on the same page as far as this business with Nel is concerned?"

A resigned nod. "Just to confirm what I inferred from watching the recording... the individuals you encountered in 4D space, who worked for the company that oversaw the 'Eternal Sphere' program? Their names match those of the Elicoorian religion's gods?"

"That seems to be what Nel was suggesting. And just for the record, she didn't mention ANY of this before."

"I understand that much from your conversation afterwards," Odessa allowed. "But in light of this revelation, I don't suppose anything else stands out in your mind? Something new?"

"I'm afraid not," Maria admitted. "I can certainly attest that the 4D inhabitants weren't very... god-like in behaviour. Aside from Luther himself, and a few of the Sphere employees, they certainly didn't claim to be anything other than normal people. They believed that they had created our universe, but they certainly didn't display any..."

"Megalomaniacal tendencies?"

"Nothing of the sort. Most of them seemed to think that it would be best to just leave things as they were. And a number of the staff actually went so far as to help us fight back."

"Did they, at any point, suggest that they felt obligated to do so? Or that they expected something in return from you?"

"Never. Their motivation for helping seemed to simply be that, despite us technically being part of a computer program, they considered us fellow sentient beings that deserved the chance to determine our own path, without being subject to the whims and arrogance of those in power."

Odessa looked amused. "Sounds like you and them got along famously."

Maria had the grace to look a little sheepish. Apparently, some emotion had crept into her voice. "Well, I suppose we did, all things considered. I doubt we would have been successful without their help, that's for sure."

"Food for thought, I suppose..." Looking away, "Computer, estimated time before the individuals carrying the transporter beacon approach the central Aquios area?"

_"At present speed, approximately one hour and fifteen minutes,_" was the reply.

"So we have that long to brainstorm," Maria summarized. "And any chance of passing this problem off as a big deception or hoax was probably ruined by what Crosell said to Nel."

"So you're inclined to take him seriously?"

Maria raised an eyebrow incredulously. "Even the largest blasts sent at us during the Creator war barely broke magnitude five in strength. According to both the main sensor array and my quad-scanner, Crosell was _harnessing_ and _controlling_ energy levels well in excess of magnitude SIX - over one thousand times as powerful. I plan to double-checking the equipment when we have the time, but even still..."

Odessa granted the point. "To say nothing of his knowledge? I get the impression that he knew a few things about you that he shouldn't have. And... if I'm not mistaken, I suspect he touched a few nerves in the process?"

Maria met the Tetrageniot's inquiring gaze evenly, having no trouble hearing the more cautious tone behind the last sentence. And perhaps it was warranted. After all, despite the limited rapport that had developed between them, they had only known each other for a few days. To damage that understanding, when there was only the two of them comprising the entire crew, could jeopardize the mission's chances of success.

On the other hand, considering that Maria was technically in the pay of the organization Odessa represented, it could be considered a legitimate question. If half of the crew suddenly developed a personal issue, it could easily jeopardize the mission as well.

"Sticks and stones," Maria finally informed her. "To be honest, he knew some things that _I_ didn't know until a few days ago. I don't _like_ it, I don't think we can afford to just ignore what he said, but I refuse to start second-guessing our actions based on that alone. We'll bear in mind what he said, but unless we get more definite information, we won't do anything differently. Our priority is still Elicoor II's well-being, in regards to both our original mission and this new development."

"Fair enough," Odessa agreed, her tone of voice holding both approval over Maria's stance and tacit acceptance over her disinclination to go into further detail. Glancing back at the viewing screen, "I must say... he IS a magnificent brute, isn't he?"

"I guess so. Among other things."

Abruptly, the Tetrageniot cocked her head sideways, as though something had occurred to her. "...Is it a 'he'?"

There was a moment of stunned silence.

"I... didn't think to check," Maria deadpanned.

**+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+**

Elicoor II's civilization hadn't actually progressed far enough to develop any meaningful level of tourism. Its people travelled for practical reasons - conducting business, visiting immediate and distant family, and transporting goods. Their work, be it working the land or plying a trade, tended to be ongoing and year-round in nature. Amusement was gleaned in small helpings when the workload allowed. The idea of simply travelling somewhere far away for idle pleasure would have likely been met with amusement and disbelief from all but the wealthiest of its inhabitants.

There was however, one exception to this rule - Castle Aquaria. And it was a rare and unfortunate Aquarian citizen who did not, at some point in their lifetime, come to visit it.

Originally constructed just over three hundred years ago, then steadily maintained and expanded since then, the castle was a monument to a civilization that had found itself blessed with fertile and productive soil, remarkably honest and effective leaders, and only one religion. To this end, the workers had first constructed a beautiful, high-roofed, spacious chapel, then built the rest of the castle around it. Fresh water from the mountain streams to the North was diverted to flow through the entire structure, before rejoining the main waterways leading out of the city. Stone was cut from quarries in the Northern Mountains and polished to a finish that rivalled anything else of its type.

The end result was a structure that served as an immense source of civic pride, even while acting as both the religious and administrative centre for the entire country. Simply walking down the corridors and hallways of the castle was enough to soothe the mind and spirit of all but the most disturbed of individuals. To gaze upon the ornamentation and metalwork in the chapel was to be filled with a sense of beauty and awe. To stand before its open doors was to be made welcome, to feel invited to enter and visit what was arguably the most beautiful building in the country - and quite possibly - the entire world.

Or so Nel had previously believed.

More sensing than seeing her friend come to a halt, Clair immediately followed suit. "How are you feeling?"

"Like..." Nel shuddered, trying to will her stomach to stop churning. "Like I'm going to be sick," she confessed.

"I don't blame you."

Nel winced, looking again at the entrance to the throne room. The doors were closed presently, but a gentle push would be more than enough to make them swing inwards. Easy enough, if it didn't mean that she would then be forced to meet with her Queen. And then... "Some help _you_ are."

"I'm here to help you, not make you feel better," Clair admonished, though her voice lacked any edge to it. "I'm not happy with you and I'm not happy with how you've been acting for the last three months, even if your reasons have turned out to be... unexpected. But I wouldn't for moment EVER consider letting you face this business alone."

"I _knew_ there was something keeping me from running away."

"And I can see that you haven't completely lost what little humour you possess," Clair returned, "so you can't be completely beyond hope."

Nel managed a weak smile, although it faded quickly. "Do you think I should have Maria come down right now?"

"I suppose you may as well. If she and Lady Odessa are able to offer any assistance on this matter, it would be best if they were present for your entire explanation."

"You said that this 'Lady Odessa' was a scientist?"

"That's right. I don't quite understand all the details, but I understand that she specializes in studying people and societies, in a very scientific way. I think it's quite likely that she may have some unique insights into this situation."

"I hope so," Nel agreed, opening the cover on the transporter beacon and depressing the button as Maria had instructed. After several moments, a chorus of beeps sounded from the device, which Nel took as permission to stop pressing the button.

"How long will it take for them to-"

Two pillars of blue light interrupted Clair's question, appearing a short distance away and materializing into the familiar forms of Maria and Odessa.

"That was fast," Nel remarked simply, her mind already cataloguing the appearances of the two. The fact that Maria had clearly found the opportunity to both bathe and change clothing wasn't lost on her, but any traces of envy were mostly erased upon taking a closer look at Maria's friend - the aforementioned Lady Odessa, no doubt. She hadn't seen any races with three eyes during her excursion away from Elicoor II, but it wasn't as though the Sanmite Republic didn't have far more unique variations from what most would consider 'normal'. Beyond the obvious, the woman's demeanour spoke of both intelligence and nobility, which made her something of a wild card in Nel's books.

"We've been tracking that beacon this whole time," Maria explained. "So that we would be ready to come down when you arrived here."

"And so you'd know if I started walking the other way?" Nel suggested, unable to help herself. It wasn't that she wasn't glad to see Maria, and it wasn't that she didn't appreciate the offer of help... but she didn't have to be entirely gracious about the way Maria had effectively forced an end to the stalemate.

"Don't worry, we didn't need the tracking beacon to manage that," Maria replied blithely, neither confirming nor denying the suggestion. "But while I have the chance, Odessa, this is Nel Zelpher. Nel, this is Odessa Vectra."

Odessa smiled, giving a polite nod of her head. "It's an honour and a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance, Lady Nel. Maria's gone into considerable detail about you, so I must warn you that I've been left with some extremely high expectations. Although, if your performance in the Lava Caves was any indication, she didn't exaggerate by much."

Faced with the rather verbose greeting, Nel latched onto the last point. "My performance...?"

"I was wearing a recording device while in the caves," Maria explained, "And Odessa has had a chance to see what happened there."

"Maria and I reviewed the recording," the Tetrageniot elaborated, "and at this point, we at least have a preliminary understanding of the situation. The two things that we can agree on is that your situation is exceptionally unique, and that more information is required before any further conclusions are made."

Nel sighed, even as she berated herself for expecting otherwise. It wasn't as though she'd ever expected to see any of her off-world friends again, much less the plethora of unbelievable technology and vast knowledge they took for granted. Had she really gotten her hopes up so much, simply from the surprise of seeing Maria again? The younger woman hadn't actually promised any solutions earlier, but... "I... see."

"Don't be like that," Maria chided, apparently reading some disappointment in Nel's reply. "Like I said earlier, you never brought this up last time, remember? All that Odessa and I know about this is what we've learned second-hand from your conversations with Albel and Crosell. Once you explain everything fully, we can start analyzing the information properly."

Nel grimaced. "I see."

"So..." the Earthling inquired expectantly. "Ready to start?"

Nel resisted the urge to sigh again.

It had been three months since their last adventure, but coming from Maria, Nel knew that wasn't actually a question. The younger woman embodied every bit of Cliff's arrogance and devil-may-care attitude; she simply disguised it with a generous helping of politeness and diplomacy (and sleeves). And if she lacked Cliff's irreverent humour and vocal bluster, she more than made up for it with a sometimes ruthless sense of logic and a way of speaking that suggested she expected the rest of the universe to agree with her. She tended to ask questions that she either felt were rhetorical, or that she fully expected to have answered very soon.

In this particular instance, asking if Nel was 'ready to start' was Maria's way of saying 'I think you are ready, unless you can produce evidence proving otherwise'.

Nel _didn't_ feel ready to start. In fact, she strongly felt that Maria's _modus operandi_ had the potential to make things even worse. Despite this, she could see no other options or solutions presenting themselves. And she suspected that, at this particular point, what _she_ felt was no longer an issue. Just the same... "Are you sure about this?" she asked, trying to muster the energy for 'defiant', but settling for 'doubting'.

"About what? Telling your Queen about what you've seen?"

A nod.

"Your Queen asked a similar question, after telling me that she made no secret of the fact that your people had been visited by people from other worlds. She asked if I thought she should have kept it a secret. I told her that, in my opinion, if she could tell people the truth, and if they could accept it and move on, that was probably the best possible outcome."

"This is... different."

"Is it?" Maria inquired doubtfully. "It's a harder and more serious issue, but is it really much different? Your queen said that she didn't want to be remembered as a leader who lied to her people. Do you think she was wrong?"

Nel winced at the question, even though it had been devoid of any accusation. Once again, Maria was asking things that she felt were rhetorical. "No..."

"Do you feel that you're qualified to make a judgment on this situation by yourself?"

Nel winced again. The past three months of failure were proof-negative of _that_. "No..."

"Then the logical thing to do would be to talk with someone who _is_ qualified. Can you suggest someone who is knowledgeable, especially in the areas of your world's politics and religion, who possesses sound judgment, wants the best for your people, and is available right now?"

Wordlessly, Nel glanced towards the throne room doors, silently damning the younger woman's way with logic.

Equally silent, the other three individuals waited patiently.

She probably _could_ leave, Nel mused, even now. True, the combined efforts of Clair and Maria had forced the issue thus far, to the point where she was now standing before the throne room doors. But if she _really_ wanted, she could probably still back out. Maria wouldn't go so far as to actually fight, that much Nel felt certain of, and if she didn't hold back, even Clair wouldn't be able to stop her by force.

But to what end? Where would she go now? She'd been searching for answers for three months now. She'd combed through every library in Aquaria and Airyglyph. She'd beaten the strongest warrior in the land. She'd confronted Crosell a second time. And come up with absolutely nothing but vague insinuations and hints that served only to create more questions. When you'd done everything in your power and failed, that left only...

With a resigned grimace, Nel squared her shoulders and pushed the doors open. "I hope that you're right."

**+-+-+**

The throne room was deserted, save for a single figure seated at the far end. Clad in all her imperial garments and headdress, Queen Aquaria XVII sat waiting. Upon seeing the four individuals enter, she made no move to stand, instead remaining where she sat.

Riveting her eyes straight ahead, Nel felt rather than saw the other three follow her, Clair to her side, scarcely half a pace behind, with Maria and Odessa opting to follow a short distance back. She wasn't sure how long it took to traverse the distance from the doorway to the footsteps of the throne, but she felt considerably older at the end of it.

Finally coming to a halt at the edge of the steps, Nel fell to one knee, placing a hand flat on the ground before her, her head bowed low.

"My Queen, I..." Nel trailed off, suddenly realizing that she hadn't thought about what to say at this point. The situation was far beyond 'I'm sorry', 'I can explain' sounded ridiculous, and 'I had reasons' was both redundant and unthinkable.

"Nel," the Queen stated, her voice flat and emotionless, devoid of the comforting overtones it normally possessed. "I see that you have returned."

"Y-yes... My Queen," Nel replied quietly, still staring intently at the polished floor.

"You may rise."

Nel did so.

"When last we conversed," Aquaria began slowly, "I made requests of you. Do you remember this?"

Nel swallowed. "I... do."

Standing from her throne, the Queen slowly descended the steps. Coming to a halt less than an arm's length from Nel, she fixed her ruby-red eyes on the warrior. "And in no uncertain terms, you refused me. Repeatedly. Do you remember this?"

Nel forced herself not to avert her eyes from the Queen's piercing glare, though the effort was almost enough to make her eyes water. The Queen was a tall and stately individual under any circumstances, especially up close, but the presence about her was truly larger than life. And right now, Nel could feel the entirety of it concentrated on her own self. "I... do."

"And now?"

She was shaking, Nel dimly realized, and nothing she could do was making it stop. She had infiltrated the deepest recesses of Castle Airyglyph, faced down alien invaders from other worlds, even fought against a so-called Creator... and she would have done it all again, rather than face her Queen like this.

Though spoken in anger, Clair's earlier words in the caves rang distressingly true - Nel HAD sworn vows of protection, servitude, and loyalty to this woman. Her life as a shield, her hands as tools, and her heart as a gift given freely... all to her Queen and the land she presided over.

She could remember reciting those vows when she began her training, when she had been nothing more than a fledgling warrior with far more talent than experience, optimistically seeking to follow in her father's footsteps. She could remember repeating those vows upon being given the title of Crimson Blade, receiving the Queen's heartfelt thanks for her work, and coming to the realization that her very life could not possibly take on more worth in anyone else's hands, including her own.

And what had she done? She'd lied to her Queen. She'd disobeyed her. She'd doubted her. And finally, she'd abandoned her. She'd run all over the land, going so far as to single-handedly approach Crosell... rather than simply trust in her Queen. It had been for good reasons, but... right now, she couldn't imagine what those reasons might have been.

"I am..." Nel finally whispered, looking straight into her queen's face, "yours to command." And if the Queen was merciful, perhaps the next command would be for her to run herself through with her own blades. Anything more generous was too good for her at this point.

"The concealment spell over your Runic signature," the Queen stated. "Remove it."

With scarcely more effort than twitching a muscle, Nel obediently let the spell fade away.

Only the faintest inhalation of breath betrayed the Queen's reaction as she let her gaze sweep across Nel's form. As the Holy Mother of the Church of Apris, her ability to see runological energies rivalled that of anyone else alive, which meant there wasn't the slightest chance that she would miss the significance of what was present.

"_I see_," was the Queen's final pronouncement, though she did not offer further details for the benefit of the non-Elicoorians present. "I would hear the story surrounding this development. In its entirety."

Nel nodded curtly.

"I apologize for interrupting, Your Majesty," Maria spoke up, "but it's a fairly long and complicated story. You may wish to make yourself comfortable."

"Is that so?"

"And at the risk of being presumptuous, I'd like to formally request that you allow Nel to tell the entire story before making any decisions."

That evoked a smile of amusement from the Queen. "I have waited three months to hear this story. I can certainly wait a little longer before passing judgement."

"I appreciate that."

"Tell me," she inquired, glancing pointedly between Nel and Maria, "will this story include your recent conversations with Crosell?"

There was a moment of poignant silence, before Maria finally replied, her voice flat. "I think there's a very good chance of that, yes."

"I look forward to it," the Queen agreed. "Let us retire to my chambers."

**+-+-+-+-+**

"...at which point I returned here with Clair."

Maria hadn't been lying when she called it a long and complicated story. It had been bad enough explaining everything to Odessa a few days ago, but trying to retell the story for the benefit of the Elicoorians was another matter entirely.

"I see," was all Queen Aquaria said in reply.

"Ridiculous!" That was Magistrate Lasselle's pronouncement. Both he and Lady Elena had been summoned by the Queen's order, and they had been privy to Nel's entire tale. Early on, the Queen had found it necessary to order the man to remain silent until the story was completed. Now that the story was done... "You expect us to believe this... absurdity!?"

"You can vouch for all of this?" the Queen inquired.

Maria nodded. "I'm afraid so."

Seated next to her was Odessa who, aside from occasionally supplying explanations for things that Nel couldn't explain properly, had remained largely silent. Across from them were Lasselle and Elena, while Clair had taken the remaining seat next to the Queen. That left Nel without a place to sit, but the circumstances had dictated that Nel would NOT be making herself comfortable at this time. She was standing at attention, in a location that left her visible to the rest of the room's occupants, and had been that way for the last hour.

"B-but... you mean to say that our entire existence was nothing but a... _puppet show_?!? Created by mere mortals? That was then destroyed?" Lasselle demanded. "That is madness! Beyond madness!"

'Puppet Show' was the term being used in lieu of 'Computer Simulation', which had been the best substitute that Maria and Odessa could think up. Courtesy of her limited off-world time, Nel understood some of the fundamentals behind the idea of 'computers', but she was still at a loss to explain it to her own people. For the time being, 'Puppet Show' was the term being used, with the understanding that it was actually far more complicated and 'Real' than that.

Unsurprisingly, Nel's story was NOT being received well.

"Your Majesty," Lasselle persisted. "You cannot possibly be paying any heed to this fabrication!"

For her part, the Queen merely looked thoughtful, which seemed to dismay the man even further.

"Lady Elena!" he tried, "Even YOU must find this story ridiculous!"

The woman nodded slowly, having remained silent throughout Nel's entire telling, although her attention hadn't wavered in the slightest. "Heaven forbid we agree on something," she mused, "but it _does_ seem quite unbelievable. You claim that... the 'Stage' was destroyed? Then how do you explain our presence here and now?"

"We don't know," Maria admitted. "I've spent the last three months trying to understand that. The best explanation that I can think of, is that Luther failed in his attempt to delete, I mean, destroy us. But everything else is almost certain, I'm afraid to say."

"Crosell confirmed this," Clair reminded them, although she looked no more pleased than anyone else. "When Nel asked him, he seemed to know as much already."

"You can't possibly suggest we trust HIM," Lasselle objected. "No doubt he still bears a grudge against us for forcing him to assist us against the Vendeeni invaders."

"And what of the people who created us?" the Queen inquired, clearly directing the question at Nel. "They wore the same names as our gods?"

The redhead nodded. "There was a battle coliseum being run by people named Solon and Dima. And there were people named Shar, Leiria, Oreas, and Aire in charge of running the... puppet show. I also heard them mention someone named Folstar."

"A coincidence," Lasselle interjected.

"Solon fought in the coliseum with a large sword," Nel added, "and Dima used fire spells. Shar and Leiria were sisters. And they referred to Folstar as an incompetent fool."

"This parallels your own gods?" Odessa inquired.

"To a degree, it does," the Queen admitted. "The god Solon wields a giant two-handed blade, while the goddess Dima wields a bow of fire, and together, they act as guardians of our world. Shar and Leiria are twin sisters, while Folstar is the unwanted offspring of Apris, who presides over fear and winter. I notice, Nel, that you have accounted for seven out of the eight deities of our world... did you see any evidence or mention of Elena?"

Both Maria and Odessa immediately glanced towards the chief researcher, which was received with an exasperated noise on the woman's part.

"She means the Goddess Elena," Nel quickly supplied. "And no, I didn't see her there, My Queen. They didn't even mention her, in fact."

"Strange," the Queen mused thoughtfully. "Since she is arguably the most active of the eight lesser gods..."

"On another note," Elena interjected, "there is also the matter of Nel's runic signature...?"

"Could you explain that?" Maria requested. "Obviously, Odessa and I can't see it the way the rest of you can, but there's clearly been some change?"

"It has long been held," the Chief researcher elaborated, "that it is impossible to alter one's Runic Signature. Much like fingerprints, you might say. It can be disguised or hidden with certain techniques, but it cannot actually be changed. The one exception to this rule is the case of the Holy Mother."

As one, all heads turned towards the Queen, who nodded. "Elena is correct. When a woman is chosen by Apris to be the Holy Mother to His followers, she is given His blessing. Her eyes are endowed with the fullness of Apris' own all-seeing gaze, and she is able to perceive the most minute and intricate runological fluctuations. At that time, her Runological signature is both changed and magnified to such a degree that even those with the weakest of sight can perceive it clearly. For someone to undergo such a change, it is an indisputable sign to all, that the person has been set apart by Apris Himself to lead his people in the days to come."

Almost in tandem, every head swivelled to look at Nel, who promptly flinched. "This isn't the same thing!" she protested weakly.

"I don't believe there has ever been a case of two individuals set apart in such a way at the same time," the Queen granted. "But there is also nothing prohibiting such a thing. And the Marquis DID make reference to individuals being set apart, did he not? Our world in particular?"

"He didn't actually say that _I_ was," Nel pointed out quickly. "He only said that Maria was set apart."

Maria's expression darkened slightly, but she refrained from saying anything inappropriate. "It seems fairly obvious that Crosell is in a... position of knowledge," she grudgingly allowed. "But just because he knows something about this, doesn't mean he was under any obligation to tell us the whole truth about it. Or any truth at all, for that matter. He DID say that he thought this whole business was amusing."

"Do you believe those people to be gods?" the Queen inquired. "The people who created us?"

"_No_," Maria insisted forcefully. "Even if they really _did_ create our entire universe, they _weren't_ gods. They were just people with more knowledge and power. They weren't any more... _divine_ than myself and Odessa. Or the Vendeeni, even. And they never claimed otherwise, I might add."

"And you never questioned them about all this at the time?" Lasselle demanded incredulously, the comment directed at Nel.

"There were other concerns at the time," Nel defended. "Our existence, for starters."

"At this time," the Queen asked, "is there any way to contact these people?"

"None," Maria informed her. "When we defeated the Creator, the secondary gates all vanished without a trace. The primary gate, which we call the 'Time Gate', just like the Sacred Orb and every single other OPA, has gone completely inert and inactive now."

"The Sacred Orb?" Nel demanded hopefully. "You know what happened to it?"

"You might recall that we classified the Sacred Orb as an Out-of-Place Artifact," Maria explained. "Another example was the Time Gate, which you remember. But at the instant of the Creator's defeat, those two, as well as every single other example, either disappeared or went completely dead. Considering that they were apparently intended as devices to interact with our world, that makes sense to me. But I'm afraid that the Sacred Orb is almost certainly gone forever."

The redhead sagged. "I see..."

"So it would appear," the Queen summarized, "that we were created by people who wear our gods' names, yet are nothing more than highly knowledgeable mortals. Yet the Marquis' words clearly denounced these people, and supported the existence of true gods. Yet if this was nothing more than an attempt on their part at impersonating our deities, it was a poorly planned and executed one."

Various non-noises of displeasure and exasperation seemed to indicate that the other occupants of the room agreed upon her summary.

"And," the Queen added, "I have not even introduced my own discovery to this situation."

As one, the room went deathly still.

"Tell me," Queen Aquaria inquired, fixing both Maria and Odessa with a small smile. "Do the two of you believe in prophecy?"

After those words were spoken, an outside observer would have noticed the gaze of every single Elicoorian in the room gravitate towards the table before them, where a single book rested quietly.

"You mean-" Lasselle's voice actually sounded reverent.

"-a prophecy?" Clair finished in a similar tone of voice.

Maria and Odessa briefly exchanged glances, like two new club members who hadn't yet been taught the secret handshake. "Prophecy?" Odessa finally prompted.

Picking up the book gently, the Queen held it out for inspection. "This is one of Ikelos' Books of Prophecy. There are 13 volumes in total, written seven hundred and twenty years ago by the first Holy Mother, Queen Aquaria the First, as dictated to her by the Gods. They contain passages to help the appointed Holy Mother guide her people through troubled times. Over the centuries, there have been many attempts by scholars to anticipate the events described in the passages, but all have invariably met with failure. However, from time to time, a Holy Mother will be strongly drawn to a particular portion of script. And invariably, it _will_ be fulfilled.

"The last time I was drawn to a passage, this is what I read: _'There shall be Chaos in the holy land. From this Chaos shall spread grave Misfortune, and Misfortune shall give birth to a new War. Amidst this War shall the Arrow of Apris be shot down from the Heavens. The Arrow shall rend the Land from the Heavens, and create still more Chaos. Be at ease, for peace awaits, and calm and tranquility shall rule in the end'_."

Fixing Maria and Odessa with a smile, "One day after being drawn to this passage, I received word that your Celestial Ship had crashed in Airyglyph. The rest, you are quite familiar with. You and your friends brought chaos with you, but you also brought peace in the end."

"Your Majesty, are you saying that another passage has come to light?" Clair inquired again.

"Indeed. After you departed with Maria to seek out Nel, I sought to ease my mind by reading through this volume. Almost immediately after, I found myself drawn to a new passage. Some, I believe I understand with little difficulty, while the rest is quite confusing. But now than Nel has told her story, I believe a few more pieces have become clear..."

"Are we permitted to hear it?" Odessa inquired hopefully.

"Of course. The passage reads as follows - _'The creator will be destroyed, the gods shown to be false. The shrine shall go dry, while two of three keys shall vanish. The warrior maiden shall be marked and flee in search of answers but find naught._

_"Borne by the wings of the beautiful angel, a scholar will visit from a dead world of four moons. Alongside her will come a second warrior of unknown lineage bearing the remaining key, who will seek out the errant maiden. They shall meet before the Great Serpent, who will drop his veil and mock them with half-truths before casting them away._

_"In the days to come, both warriors will be tested in mind, body, and spirit, in preparation for a great battle to come.'_"

The occupants of the room digested the text for several long moments.

Odessa was the first to break the silence, her voice sounding almost stunned. "This is utterly _fascinating_. I don't believe I ever expected myself to appear in a prophecy."

"You believe yourself to be mentioned?" the Queen inquired. "I had wondered if you fit the role of the 'scholar' in the prophecy..."

"Quite blatantly," Odessa admitted. "You couldn't possibly know this, but my homeworld of Tetragenesis is actually inhospitable to life. Instead, my people now live on the planet's four moons. And if that weren't enough, my personal spacecraft is christened _Taeska Jare_. Translated from the ancient Genesian language, it literally means 'Lovely' or 'Beautiful Angel'. A little much to be a coincidence, I should think."

"Indeed."

"In lieu of Nel's story," Elena voiced, "The parts about a creator being destroyed and gods being shown false are fairly obvious in meaning. As is the part about a 'warrior maiden' being 'marked and fleeing in search of answers'. The reference to the 'Shrine going dry' likely refers to the Sacred Orb's disappearance, since it is no longer present to create water in the Shrine of Kadden. The passages about the two maidens meeting before 'the Great Serpent' probably refers to Crosell."

"Which is how you knew Nel and I had talked with him," Maria guessed, giving the Queen an amused look.

"It seemed almost certain," the Queen confirmed, "since you were the only individual to visit with Odessa, and you were the one who sought out Nel... which would also make you the 'Warrior of unknown lineage bearing the remaining key'. I presume that your 'unknown lineage refers to your off-world status. Unfortunately, I am as a loss to understand what is meant by 'Key'."

"To be honest, I consider myself a diplomat before a warrior," Maria admitted, "but the 'Key' probably refers to my Alteration Symbol. Originally, there were three symbols in three people, designed to let us travel to and operate within the 4D universe. My symbol was called 'Alteration', Fayt had 'Destruction', and Sophia had 'Connection'. But I was visiting them just a few days ago, and learned that both their symbols vanished without a trace after we defeated the Creator. Which would leave _me_ with the remaining 'Key'."

The explanation was accepted stoically. "I see."

"So we have a prophecy, which has done a flawless job of describing recent events." Odessa summarized. "Furthermore, despite being written on this world seven hundred and twenty years ago, it shows knowledge of things which no one on this world should ever have had any inkling of. Point in case, my own world only become 'Dead' approximately three hundred and fifty years ago. Since I don't think we can simply relegate this to simple coincidence, that leaves us with two questions. At least."

"Two questions?" Nel inquired.

"I presume the first is in regards to the last sentence?" the Queen guessed. "It is the only line that we cannot account for, but it seems to clearly imply that both Nel and Maria are to be tested. For a great battle to come."

"What kind of battle?"

"Relations with Airyglyph are going well," Clair pointed out. "I don't think there are any points of contention that might start something. And I can't imagine anything from the direction of Greeton after all this time."

"You said 'two questions'," Maria reminded her. "What other question were you thinking of?"

The Tetrageniot looked surprised. "It seems fairly obvious to myself. Why is a divine prophecy predicting its own gods being proven false?"

_That_ merited a stunned silence in reply.

The Queen picked up the tome, re-reading the offending portion carefully. "It... clearly says as much," she finally pronounced, voice sounding troubled. "I must confess, such a logical dilemma did not occur to me at first, nor do I understand now how such a thing could be possible. The rest of this prophecy is clearly accurate, but for it to display divine foresight, yet disavow divinity in the process..."

"Crosell _did_ say that there were higher powers than what we faced," Maria reminded her.

"Yet the gods who stand to be proven false are the very same as who dictated this book," the Queen reminded her, the expression on her face contemplative. Finally, she gave her subjects a look. "This matter certainly bears further consideration. Elena, Lasselle, Clair, Nel... you are not to speak of these matters to anyone else. This includes the disappearance of the Sacred Orb, Nel's experiences, as well as the prophecy. This matter will be studied in great detail in the near-future, but rampant speculation will serve no good at this time."

All four individuals nodded obediently.

"I would also ask," the Queen continued, now looking at the two off-worlders, "that you refrain from mentioning this to other inhabitants of this world."

"Of course," Maria assured her. "As I said, our primary goal is to avoid causing further disruption to your world. To be honest, a part of me wants to apologize for... helping to bring this development to light."

"Apologize?" the Queen repeated, sounding surprised. "Nel, had Maria not shown up when she did... what would your next course of action have been? After the Marquis was uncooperative?"

"I..." Nel sighed. "I don't know."

"Were there no other avenues for you to try? No other scholars? No other libraries?"

The redhead shook her head. "None that I know of, Your Majesty."

The Queen returned her gaze to Maria. "So I believe that Nel would likely have returned in the end - if not as quickly. Thus, there are certainly no apologies warranted for your assistance. In fact, I would consider it quite fortuitous that the two of you were on-hand to offer your own perspective. Indeed, it would seem to be quite prophetic, no less."

Closing the prophecy book, the Queen set it gently upon the table, giving the two off-worlders an amused smile. "In any event, while I greatly appreciate your help and insight into this development... it was not your original reason for visiting us, and I would not have you think I had forgotten that. Now that one of my servants has returned, through your assistance, I believe it only fair to obtain her input on the matter. Nel?"

**+-+-+-+-+**

"Nel?"

The room turned to focus on the subject, who straightened noticeably. While discussing recent developments had been almost a relief, hearing her name spoken like _that_ had been a solid reminder that she was still highly eligible for high treason, with the injured party also being the judge. "Your Majesty?"

"This woman, Lady Odessa Vectra, is a scholar who has come to our world seeking to learn about us and exchange information. She, on behalf of the organization she represents, believes that it is possible to accomplish such a goal, without bringing harm to our world or its people, and to this end, she has enlisted the help of Maria. I would hear your thoughts on this matter."

Nel's eyes darted briefly towards the two outworlders, certain things beginning to fall into place. During her earlier excursion off the planet, despite the abundance of distractions, she had managed to learn that her planet was considered unique in certain areas. Now it appeared that certain people had decided to try and satisfy their curiosity, and had likely asked Maria to be a diplomatic go-between.

And the Queen expected Nel to offer judgment on the matter? With nothing more to rely on than her own experiences during their frantic rush to find and defeat the Creator? And without having been privy to any earlier discussions about this proposal?

A character reference then, was what the Queen was looking for. And admittedly, what better way to discover someone's character than when they were under pressure? Nel suspected that recent events were revealing a great deal about her own, even if she was at a loss to interpret them. But in regards to how Maria had conducted herself during their earlier time together...

She could fight, certainly, although once you got used to the concept of energy weapons, it was a fairly unremarkable fighting style. She lacked the explosive, super-human speed and power of people like Cliff and Mirage, or even Peppita; nor had she ever been able to manage the awe-inspiring displays of Runology that Fayt, Sophia, and Adray had been capable of. While her speed and accuracy with her energy weapon was first-class, and her coolness under pressure nothing short of phenomenal... compared to the other members of the party, she hadn't really stood out as a fighter of note.

It was outside the realm of combat that Maria had really shone. Sometimes, with all the fighting that been involved in saving their existence, Nel could almost forget how many problems _hadn't_ required fighting, that Maria had solved either in part or by herself. Leading Quark (and its impressive crew roster), negotiating with the Queen against the Vendeeni, strategizing with Commodore Wittcomb, handling the computer systems on Moonbase and in 4D space... and least she forget, granting permission for Nel to continue with the group to Moonbase in the first place.

All in all, it was an impressive resume for anyone, let alone for someone several years Nel's junior, and it was enough to help you overlook a lot of the arrogance and meddling tendencies that came with it. It was also enough to make you seriously wonder how the hell someone like that was created in the first place. So if Maria was now reappearing on the world of Elicoor II, claiming to be part of a proposal that involved the exchange of information, in a way that would bring no harm to the world...

...Well, Maria had never given cause for her integrity to be questioned, and she had always been forthcoming about her intentions on other occasions. You didn't have to agree (or be happy) with her, but you never had to worry that she might be lying to you...

"I think," Nel began carefully, "that if Maria is supporting this, then she honestly believes it would be good for our world. And even though their technology and knowledge far exceeds our own, I think they've shown that they consider that to be secondary." Nel paused to consider her next words, least any hint of accusation be heard in them. "Did this... proposed arrangement involve further... direct intervention in any affairs of our kingdom?"

Obviously, her wording hadn't been chosen well enough, because Maria's mouth turned up at the corners, clearly amused. "Our hands are largely tied in such cases, actually. The only reason I was able to make the offer to assist on this matter was because it was blatantly obvious that the cause of the problem was off-world in origin. In fact, since you're the only inhabitant who has actually left this world, that effectively limits any future possible intervention to issues involving yourself personally."

Translation: 'No, unless YOU cause more problems.'

"I see," Nel agreed stiffly, inwardly entertaining the idea of asking for some time alone, just the two of them, for a chance to wipe that bastard-offspring-of-Cliff Fitter-shit-eating-smirk from Maria's face. It would be worth the diplomatic fallout, she was positive.

It didn't help that several other people in the room were clearly trying to disguise smiles of their own. Some days, it just didn't pay to put up a fight. This was probably why her job involved working with soldiers, rather than diplomats.

"Did you have any further concerns, Nel?" the Queen finally inquired.

Nel shook her head slowly, inwardly lamenting her inability to provide more information to her ruler. "No, My Queen."

"So be it." There was a certain finality to the phrase; one that told all present that something important had been decided. When a Queen did that, it was usually best to pay attention to whatever was said next. "Maria, Odessa, I have decided that we will accept your proposal."

Murmurs of surprise from both Lasselle and Elena indicated that neither had expected the sudden announcement, despite their expressing opposite views on the matter earlier. For their part, Nel and Clair both kept silent, although surprise was still evident in their expressions.

"We will accept your proposal," the Queen reiterated. "An exchange of knowledge and resources, over an indefinite period of time, within the constraints that your own laws impose upon you."

"I'm happy to hear that, Your Majesty," Maria's agreed, her face breaking into a smile. "You have my word, Your Majesty, that we'll do everything in our power to ensure this works out for your benefit. And as soon as Odessa gets her voice back, I think she'll agree with me."

The Tetrageniot nodded quickly, her expression of delight beyond mere words. "Y-yes, absolutely, Your Majesty! I give you my utmost assurances of that!"

"There are of course," the queen continued, "specifics and details to be arranged, but I expect we will have little difficulty agreeing upon such things. Would you be amiable to doing so tomorrow?"

"That would be fine," Maria assured her. "It's getting late, after all."

"Then we may disperse for tonight. Lasselle?"

The man straightened. "Yes, My Queen?"

"Among other things, Lady Odessa has expressed a desire to learn about our country's social structure and hierarchy, and I can think of none more knowledgeable than yourself. You will see to it that she is able to learn what she wishes to know. Lady Elena?"

"My Queen?"

"The suggestion you made to me earlier has some merit. I would have you create a list of materials that you believe would be deemed acceptable as trade, and you will see to it that Lady Odessa is able to learn what she wishes to know about Runology. I know that you have also expressed interest in working with Maria, so I will allow you free reign to discuss and pursue the matter with her yourself, as your respective duties and obligations warrant. Clair?

"My Queen?"

"I am grateful for your presence and efforts today. You are free to return to your regular duties. Should there be any concerns regarding these events, I will see to it that you are made aware. Nel?"

Once again, Nel stiffened slightly, reflecting that she was letting herself be distracted far too easily by the sudden change of events. "My Queen?"

"You may retire to your quarters for tonight, I will come to talk with you shortly."

The redhead swallowed. "As you command."

"You may all go," the Queen concluded. "Maria and Odessa, I would talk with you privately before you depart."

**+-+-+-+-+**

It was only a matter of seconds before the other four individuals filed out of the room, closing the door behind them and leaving the two off-worlders alone with the Queen.

Allowing herself a brief sideways glance, Maria could see that Odessa was only barely repressing a markedly giddy smile, likely kept in rein only by an inherently refined and dignified personality. She herself was feeling similarly satisfied, although the prophecy had done its best to sour her mood. For the time being however, she allowed it to be regulated to a background issue.

"Nel speaks quite highly of you."

The opening statement from the Queen was directed at Maria, who nodded in acceptance. "Coming from her, I'm quite flattered. She's an exceptional person herself."

"She also seems to resent your recent interference in her affairs."

Maria raised an eyebrow, taking the obvious lead-in as offered. "_Her_ affairs? I don't think this business can be said to belong to any one person."

"So you find her at fault?"

A brief pause. "I don't have the authority to decide that."

The Queen nodded. "Perhaps, but this situation has no precedent that I am aware of, and your own people clearly strive to ensure it remains that way. Among our Sacred Precepts is the exhortation to punish the guilty, but to not punish the innocent, which is something I have always sought to maintain. Therefore, as a leader yourself, and as someone who has had the chance to observe Nel where I have not... I would ask for your own perspective on the matter."

Maria nodded slowly. It was a reasonable enough request, and closely paralleled what the Queen had just recently asked of Nel. And it had only been three months since she had led Quark. "I think... that Nel was caught between a rock and a hard place. She wasn't with us for very long, but she certainly understood that we have very strict laws about associating with Underdeveloped Planets. So I'm sure that she had some idea of the potential consequences, had she told you what she experienced. On the other hand, she's obviously taken some important vows of loyalty to you, which made her obligated to tell you everything, which she completely failed to do."

"Indeed. So in effect, she was under orders to hurt her own world. So she choose to protect her world, at the expense of her vows."

"She _has_ spent the last three months trying to find a solution," Maria reminded. "She even went so far as to confront Crosell by herself. Her actions may have been wrong, but they weren't an attempt to escape her duties. Knowing this, I suppose that I would try to find a way that punished her for her poor judgment and disobedience, without questioning her loyalty. But that's just my own opinion."

The Queen nodded slowly, turning so that she was facing one of the room's walls. A painting was affixed to the surface, sporting a kneeling figure being bathed in a overhead light source. A gold plate affixed to the bottom of the wooden frame sported a short inscription. "Perhaps, but it an opinion with some merit, and I will take that into consideration when I deal with her. But I will not burden you any further on her account. Suffice to say, her conduct will be dealt with."

Maria nodded, allowing silence to stand in for an acceptance over the matter. She had said what she could, without overstepping her authority. And even if a certain redhead felt otherwise, Maria believed that she yet to do so during her time on Elicoor II.

"Lady Odessa?" the Queen continued, still looking up at the painting. "Your area of specialty involves the study of people, you said. Does this include the arts?"

"Only marginally," Odessa admitted, paying closer attention to the painting. "I have quite a number of colleagues who specialize in such things, however. This example is oil-based, if I'm not mistaken, and less than a century old. I'm afraid that our universal translators do nothing to translate your written language, but it seems to have a religious theme to it."

"The inscription reads 'Elena, Goddess of Light, Gazing Toward the Heavens'," the Queen supplied. "It was painted three generations ago, by Queen Aquaria the twenty-fourth, shortly after her visitation by the Goddess Elena. It was during that visitation that our kingdom was given the legendary blades _Ryusen_, as well as the sword _Shinyuu_, which are presently in the possession of Nel and Clair. Being composed of forged runological essence, I can say with little fear of contradiction that the weapons are truly unique in nature, and far beyond our capability to create."

Maria nodded silently. She had seen firsthand how little resistance modern armour put up against Nel's blades. Nel hadn't thought anything of it, save for her explanation that the blades were kingdom heirlooms bestowed by the gods. At the time, Maria hadn't given the explanation much thought or credit, but now...

"Shortly afterwards, the Queen of the time painted this painting herself," Aquaria continued. "To this day, it is considered mildly sacrilegious, in that it has the goddess Elena looking upwards towards the heavens, rather than down from them, which is suggestive of subservience to and separation from the heavens."

"I can certainly see how that could be controversial," Odessa agreed.

"And of course-" and here, the Queen gave an amused smile, "-the figure's appearance causes my own Elena no end of grief."

"Hmm... it _does_ bear a certain resemblance," the Tetrageniot agreed, noting the kneeling figure's purple hair and other general physical characteristics. "But I expect Lady Elena would feel awkward over the comparison..."

"Merely annoyed," the Queen corrected. "Lady Elena is an avowed atheist."

"An atheist?" Odessa inquired, surprised.

"She agrees with the majority of the Church of Apris' tenants," the Queen explained. "She simply denies the existence of the gods and goddesses themselves. In regards to this painting, I recall she once said that if the goddess Elena missed the heavens so much, she ought never have left to begin with."

"My word... I should think _that_ would be considered more sacrilegious than this painting."

"She speaks frankly, and holds little regard for higher authorities, be they mortal or divine, save for those whom she trusts," was Aquaria's elaboration, apparently feeling no misgivings over a subject of hers feeling that way. "But she begrudges no one else their beliefs, she simply has no inclinations to follow them herself."

"I see."

"Still," the queen murmured, her eyes travelling the expanse of the painting, "being faced with the prospect of my gods being nothing more than mere people... I find myself viewing this picture with new eyes."

"Understandable," Odessa allowed, with more than a little sympathy. "I certainly won't deny that your explanation makes ME curious as well, but this situation is still less than a day old. There's hardly any sense in jumping to new conclusions until there's sufficient evidence to work with."

"You speak the truth... and the input of one such as yourself is something to be grateful for. Whether this situation is people playing at divinity, or divinity being mocked by people... I pray that the days to come will prove fruitful. Maria?"

"Your Majesty?"

"You said that you consider yourself a diplomat, rather than a warrior?"

A nod from Maria, who didn't question the sudden shift in subject. "I do, actually. I can appreciate that a lot of what I've done here has been of a... combative nature, but I've always considered myself a diplomat first. Unfortunately, sometimes the other side isn't willing to talk. Or sometimes, when you talking with someone else, there's a third party that stands to gain from a lack of communication, and they're willing to intervene with force."

"Indeed... so you are in favour of peace? Even under trying circumstances, when there is another who does not wish it?"

Maria frowned, trying to decipher the question behind the question. And there _was_ one, she was positive. Unfortunately, Queen Aquaria was on an entirely different level than the likes of Nel or Clair. "I am," she finally offered. "I believe that it's important to pursue peaceful resolutions to disagreements. But if the other party is completely unwilling to talk, then it's also important to defend yourself. But even then... it's important that you not become the aggressor. And when the opportunity for a peaceful resolution appears, it's important that you take it."

"Is that so?" The Queen looked wistful. "I am of a similar mind, but sometimes I think I may be alone in that. As far back as our records go, there have always been battles. Some large, some small, but always battles. In between, things are peaceful and we are friendly to one another, but always something manages to end the peace."

"Surely not _that_ bad, Your Majesty," Odessa began.

A sad smile. "Times are peaceful now, but this is a world of conflict, and we are a warlike people. People like Nel and Clair... two of the kindest people I know, yet they have each shed more blood with their own hands than most could ever manage in a lifetime, to say nothing of the orders they have given to others. Lady Elena desires peace, yet has managed to devise a runological weapon so powerful that you claim it has no equal in its way. Magistrate Lasselle desires peace, yet he was openly suggesting that we burn and salt the Arias plains so that Airyglyph's people would starve to death. I still wonder what might have been, had your friends not come to our world and interceded."

"You can't say for certain," Odessa pointed out. "If peace occurred, then it may well have occurred regardless, even if the means were different."

"Perhaps. Perhaps not. Once you peruse our historical records, I think you will see for yourself what I speak of. Regardless, if lasting peace is so difficult for us to embrace, perhaps the endorsement of people such as yourself will make us take a closer look. And perhaps your presence and testimony will teach us to spend more time watching the stars, and less time watching our backs."

**+-+-+-+-+**

"That went well."

Nel didn't bother answering the question until she had closed the door to her quarters, leaving it fractionally open in deference to the soon-expected visitor. "Based on what?"

"What were _you_ expecting?" Clair inquired, unhesitatingly occupying the lone chair in the room, with all the familiarity of someone who _knew_ herself to be welcome in the room. "Lady Odessa displayed some promising insight, considering that she has only just been made aware of these circumstances, and knows relatively little about us. Since the Queen has given her approval for her to learn more, it seems likely that she may be able to offer many more suggestions in the future. Do you think otherwise?"

"No..."

"Or were you expecting absolution?"

Nel winced at the question, despite the lack of any accusation behind the tone. "No..."

"You spoke highly of Maria when the Queen asked," Clair pointed out. "Do you not believe your own endorsement?"

"It's not that. Maria is just... _Maria_. She's as bad as Cliff in her own way."

"Master Cliff?" Clair repeated, raising an eyebrow in surprise. "I won't deny the man had a certain... _roughness_ to his demeanour. But surely you don't question his integrity or character? He certainly showed no hesitation about pursuing you into the Kirlsa Training facility. Or about fighting alongside us on the field of battle in many later instances."

"I know," Nel agreed. "But... those things weren't his business. He _made_ it his business. Maria is like that too. She _makes_ things her business, even when they aren't. _Especially_ when they aren't. Don't try to tell me that you or the Queen asked for her help in finding me. Or that you actually admitted the Sacred Orb was missing. You probably told her that I was off on a special mission and couldn't be reached. She probably got you to admit that I was missing, and that the Sacred Orb had disappeared. Then she probably suggested that _she_ help find me. She probably said that the earlier events allowed her interference. She probably assured you that she was only going to find me, and would let you do the talking."

Clair's expression indicated that Nel's guesses were right on all counts.

"And you saw her in the caves - when Crosell wouldn't give me answers, she interfered again! She was even insulting him! And now she's part of a prophecy that talks about a great battle? While she stays here on _our_ world?"

"It's a possible cause for concern," Clair allowed. "Then why did you speak so highly of her before?"

Nel sighed, sitting down on the edge of her bed. Her entire body was lodging protests against the treatment she had levelled against it recently, but she ignored it out of habit. "I spoke the truth. Besides, she was the person who gave permission for me to travel with the others and ultimately fight against the creator. Their celestial ships, their 'transporters', their weapons... what we've seen of their technology just scratches the surface. So much of it is... beyond anything I could have ever imagined. But even though I hardly understood anything about their world, she never once looked down on me or considered me incompetent. And it was her who gave permission for me to continue on with them."

"That speaks very highly of her. Yet you still have reservations about her presence here?"

"I do," Nel admitted. "She just... complicates things. Even without this prophecy."

"A prophecy which also mentions yourself. Should the occasion arise, do you not trust her to stand at your side?"

"Of course I trust her!"

"Then...?"

Nel sighed, gingerly leaning back until she was lying down on her bed. "She sees things _differently_. And I don't understand _how_ she sees them. Sometimes she makes sense... other times not. And she's _here_."

"Then perhaps you should talk with her. Your previous time with her was under dire circumstances, but these are times of peace. She and Lady Odessa have come to learn more about us, but the opposite also applies, does it not?"

"I don't like talking with her. She's _better_ at it."

Clair looked amused at the admission. "Then you clearly need more practice. Can you think of anyone better to practice with than a friend and ally?"

Nel made an exhausted noise. "Just once... I'd like to be right about something today. Anything."

The silvette's smile widened. "Perhaps you should settle for having friends who _are_."

"Hmph."

Clair didn't quite manage to stifle her laugh.

"The Queen will probably be here soon, you know."

"Mmm... then Her Majesty may ask me to leave. Until then, you will simply have to endure my company."

"Thanks."

The two women were quiet for a time, both content to let the silence occupy the room in lieu of further conversation, as they waited patiently for the expected arrival.

**+-+-+**

The wait was brief, and Nel was the first to detect the approaching footsteps. There were perhaps a handful of people in the entire kingdom capable of discerning the sound of padded footfalls on the main hallway's stone floor, but Nel's espionage-honed senses easily outclassed them all. Within seconds, she had processed the combination of volume, pace, and direction, into a likely profile for the owner of the footsteps.

Upon seeing Nel swiftly rise to her feet and stand to attention, Clair did likewise, both facing the door with the expectation of an imminent royal entrance.

"_Remember_," Clair murmured. "_Never alone_."

A ghost of a smile graced Nel's face as she nodded in acceptance. "_Never alone_."

Several long moments passed by, before the wooden door swung open quietly, the brighter hallway framing the new arrival briefly, before she stepped into the room.

Both warriors promptly knelt in unison.

"Rise," Queen Aquaria instructed. Giving Clair a tacit nod, she let the door shut behind her, the /click/ of the latch precluding any possibility that the silvette had been expected to vacate the room.

"Nel."

"My Queen."

"Your unique input earlier was invaluable towards my decision. You have my thanks and gratitude."

The Queen's voice was calm, the expression on her face speaking of simple satisfaction and nothing more, but even as she saw that smile directed at her, Nel knew that her ruler's next words could strip her of rank and title, and condemn her to prison for the rest of her life, and all would still be right with the world.

So she waited.

"Maria has," Queen Aquaria began, her tone of voice putting an end to any further pleasantries, "spoken quite highly of you, and has advocated leniency towards you in this matter."

She _would_, Nel reflected inwardly. It had never occurred to Nel before this moment, but she strongly suspected that Maria had never sworn allegiance or been beholden to anyone in her entire life. And _that_ was something that made a world of difference. "I have no defence," was all she said in reply.

"You have certainly failed to provide one," the Queen agreed mildly. "Dare I inquire as to your rationalization over the past three months?"

Nel flinched slightly, but said nothing.

"Sound travels well in the throne room when empty," Aquaria informed her. "Well enough that a person seated upon the throne can make out what is being said just outside the doors. Even then, you were having doubts, were you not? It is fortunate that Maria is talented with words, or this conversation might not be taking place now."

That pretty much mirrored Nel's own thoughts on the matter, although her own version lacked the word 'fortunate'.

"Was there a shortage of individuals worthy of assisting you?" the Queen inquired, glancing briefly to the side. "You have a kingdom's worth of scholars who have dedicated their lives to the pursuit of knowledge. You have a fellow warrior who is closer to you than any blood tie could possibly claim. And as your queen, I have always listened to your concerns and done my utmost to provide good counsel and judgment."

Nel winced slightly.

"So tell me... did none of us deserve the chance to assist you? Have we betrayed your confidence at some time in the past, that we could not be trusted to be of help now? And if so, are the off-worlders also unworthy of consideration, that you hesitated to the end?"

The Queen closed the distance between them, a hint of anger beginning to creep into her normally stoic voice.

"Are we such undesirable options that you would prefer to single-handedly face the Marquis himself? Should I feel grateful that you are not seeking out the king of Airyglyph also? Had the off-wolders not shown up, would you have abandoned your duties entirely, and spent the remainder of your days as a hermit? Is THAT what I am to glean from this business?"

It took every ounce of will power for Nel to maintain her composure before the tongue-lashing, let alone refrain from retreating backwards. Even Maria's ruthless logic paled in comparison to the cutting emotion behind the Queen's words.

"This is not the first time this has occurred," the Queen continued. "I am quite aware of an earlier incident, where you set out to single-handedly rescue two of your subordinates from deep within a Glyphian fortress. I assume you still remember the incident clearly? Do I need to elaborate on how your actions provoked two off-worlders - Fayt and Cliff - into pursuing you deep into enemy territory, despite the incalculable damage their re-capture would have caused?"

Nel shook her head mutely.

"And to talk with the off-worlders now... I gather that you could not be bothered to mention this to them, during your entire time with them? You spoke highly of Maria, yet it seems she remained entirely ignorant of this situation until now. Did even she, with access to superior technology and knowledge, not warrant a chance to help?

"Is that what you think of us all?" the Queen demanded sharply. "Are we all helpless babes, unworthy of consideration as you seek to single-handedly overcome the obstacles which face this kingdom? Pathetic simpletons incapable of learning and adapting to unfamiliar situations?"

"N-no," Nel protested weakly. "I-"

"Am I wrong?" the Queen inquired coldly. "Show me where I am wrong, Nel Zelpher. Tell me the reasons for your actions, that you have yet to disclose to anyone else. There are no unwelcome listeners here... unless you would deem your closest friend and myself as such. So tell me now, what logic has been dictating your actions thus far."

Unlike the plethora of questions up until now, the final demand wasn't rhetorical, and the Queen's stony expression clearly indicated that an explanation was being demanded.

"I..." Nel swallowed. If her throat had felt parched earlier, it now rivalled the Sanmite desert. She had been resolute in her actions until today, confident that her course of action, as overwhelming as it felt, was the right thing to do. Now... her efforts having proven futile, her logic crushed like an egg under a cartwheel, and the depths of her failure and betrayal becoming more evident with each passing moment...

"I... I wanted to find an answer," she whispered, her rigid posture finally wilting.

"An answer?"

"I wanted it to... make sense," Nel managed, adequate words escaping her grasp. "I wanted to find out that it was... a misunderstanding. That there wasn't really a problem."

"By yourself?"

"I didn't want to involve anyone else."

The Queen sighed, a small fraction of her anger fading, but replaced by an equal amount of weariness. "There are times for all of us, that we are forced to act alone, with no help from those around. But these times are unfortunate, and never desirable.

"It is far better to have the difficulty shared, according to each person's abilities. Where one person may break under a burden, two merely become weary, and three may endure with strength. Or do you believe otherwise?"

Nel swallowed again. "But what if... one person _can_ handle the problem? And what if the other people _can't_?"

"Is that what you believe of this incident? Did you believe that you alone could solve the problem? And that those around could not?"

"I didn't know," the redhead admitted. "It's never happened before. I didn't... want to risk it."

"Risk it?" the Queen inquired archly. "If I thought like that, it would have been _myself_ who led the war against Airyglyph. Is that what I should have done?"

Nel managed to keep from wincing, but she suspected that her expression was still an open book to the Queen's perception. "You're... you're not a warrior," she managed. "Not like... _that_."

"I am not," Aquaria agreed, almost looking amused at the redhead's hesitant admission. "Yet I believe that it is possible that I could have risen to the task. But at what cost? At what sacrifice? Truly, I am no warrior, and I have no illusions that it would have broken me in the end. So I did not make that sacrifice."

"Instead, I demanded that sacrifice of another." Glancing sideways, the Queen allowed her gaze to briefly fall upon the room's third occupant. "_Two_ others."

"It wasn't-" Clair began.

"It _was_," Aquaria corrected firmly. "I demanded that sacrifice of both of you. That you both gave it freely does not absolve me in any way, but I believe that it was the right thing for me to do. You have both suffered and toiled, bled and shed blood, wielding the authority that I have bestowed upon you in defence of this land... but you have not broken.

"These are times of peace, and with them comes the chance to lay down some of the burden. Even if those under you are weaker and less capable, this is when you may ask them - indeed, you _must_ ask them to - sacrifice without fear of them breaking. Clair struggles with this too, and I worry often, but I believe she manages. But you?"

The Queen shook her head at Nel, partly in concern, partly in exasperation. "Even as the old burdens lighten, you find new burdens to bear, whether they are yours to bear or not. Do you mean to continue down this path until you finally break? Or is it that you simply lack faith in the abilities of anyone but yourself?"

"I..." Nel didn't finish her sentence. Since first taking up arms in defence of her kingdom, she had never questioned the extent of her loyalty. Her strength, her skills, her life... all tools to protect those around her. Without exception. And now she was being told - by her Queen, no less - that she was somehow in error?

"Does that upset you?" Aquaria inquired, apparently reading her thoughts. "The idea of being told to refrain from protecting our kingdom?"

A wordless nod.

"And yet you strive so hard to deny others that very option."

Nel's eyes widened at the pronouncement.

"It saddens me to see someone sacrificed under _any_ circumstances... but for such a trivial and foolish reason? I think not."

Taking a step backwards, the Queen drew herself up, her blood-red eyes riveting Nel where she stood. "For your conduct in recent matters, you are relieved of your duties. Indefinitely."

Both warriors winced in tandem, but neither spoke.

"You are relieved of your duties indefinitely," Aquaria repeated forcefully. "This may only be rescinded by the word of myself, or should the occasion necessitate, Clair. You will abstain from involving yourself in _any_ business pertaining to your position. You will not find excuses to circumvent this, and I will tolerate no wordplay or semantics on your part. You will obey this directive in both word _and_ spirit."

That was a very _thorough_ way of phrasing it, Nel had to admit. It was almost as though the Queen thought she was capable of rationalizing an act of disobedience - on second thought, best not to think to hard about _that_. "As you command."

"In lieu of recent developments, you will be overseeing the visitation of the two offworlders. Since you are most familiar with their ways, you are the logical person to interact with them. The details of their hospitality and accommodations will fall under your jurisdiction, but I expect them to be treated as the esteemed foreign dignitaries that they are, for the duration of their visit."

It was hard, but Nel managed to avoid any changes to her facial expression. Being indefinitely assigned to work alongside Maria, _without_ a crisis looming... "As you command."

"And finally, you will finish your training."

"M-my training?"

"Your warrior's training," the Queen elaborated. "Which was cut short by the advent of the recent war against Airyglyph. Alongside your other duties, you will complete it."

Nel was silent for a moment, trying to reconcile this demand with the other two. It was true, she _hadn't_ quite finished her training when the war broke out, and then things had become complicated, and amidst the initial bloodshed and carnage, she had quickly risen to her present position and... now she had been relieved from it. Although she was at a loss to guess what training could teach her that years of warfare hadn't... "As you command," Nel repeated for the third time.

The acknowledgement was taken at face value by the Queen, who nodded simply and turned to leave the room. "Maria and Odessa will be returning tomorrow. At that time, I will explain the situation to them and leave you to your own means."

A brief nod to Clair, and then the Queen left the room silently, the door's latch clicking shut behind her. In the ensuing silence, Nel was sure it echoed. When even her hearing could no longer hear the footsteps in the hallway, she finally let her posture slump, exhaling noisily.

"That went well."

"Based on what?"

"What were you expecting?" Clair inquired. Unlike their initial exchange upon entering the room, the silvette was not forthcoming with further observations.

"I don't know."

"Are you upset?"

"I don't know."

"Are you angry?"

"I don't know."

"Confused?

"_YES_."

"Then you'll be just fine," Clair decided matter-of-factly, earning a mildly irritated look from the redhead. "You've returned home, you've confessed, you've been judged... you need only move forward with the same determination that you always have before. Simply take each day as it comes, and strive to learn from your mistakes. And you can start doing that tomorrow," the silvette added firmly. "After you've had some rest."

Nel managed a hint of a smile. And perhaps her lack of rest was simply catching up to her, but she was fairly certain that her bed was in agreement. "That sounds like a _wonderful_ idea."

Unbuckling her belt, she removed the item before setting it - and the weapons attached to it - on the dusty surface of her desk. She always felt slightly unbalanced when unarmed, but a good night's sleep more than made up for it. In the meantime, since 'deskwork' was something that happened to other people, it would serve as a pedestal for her weapons until morning.

Having a pair of arms wrapped around her caught her off-guard, but she managed to squirm enough to get her own arms free and return the favour. Clair's hug - almost crushing in its intensity - was less restrained than their usual embraces, but Nel didn't voice any complaints, instead letting the other woman lean against her as much as she wished. She was fairly certain that no amount of washing would ever get her clothing clean again, but she was far more certain that her friend didn't care at the moment.

"I missed you," Clair finally whispered into the other's hair, her grip relaxing slightly. Compared to her earlier lecturing tones, her voice had taken on a far softer inflection, the words being breathed rather than spoken. "A lot."

"I'm sorry." Nel didn't complicate the apology with any details. Right now, there were _a lot_ of things she was sorry for, and she suspected that the days to come would only add to the list. She'd settle all her accounts, just as soon as she learned how, but for the time being... to hell with questionable gods. To hell with unexplainable religions. To hell with vanishing sacred artefacts. To hell with obnoxiously arrogant offworld visitors, and the three-eyed scientists they brought with them. And to hell with royal duties that she had somehow failed to uphold, without even truly understanding _how_.

Because right now, she had a friend her arms whom she had failed, and damned if she wouldn't do everything in her power to atone for it. A friend who had finally - mostly - relinquished her embrace enough to lean back and look directly into her eyes.

"Nel?"

"Yes?"

Here, the silvette hesitated for a moment, her facial expression showing signs of both conflict and embarrassment, her gaze averting itself slightly. It was a look that Nel had learned to easily recognize by this point. As certain as she was that she knew what her friend's request would be, she was equally certain that no other living soul had ever been on the receiving end of it."Could I..." Clair flushed slightly. "Could I sleep here tonight?"

Nel smiled gently in reply, already knowing her answer. "Of course."

**+-+-+-+-+**

"Just a glass."

"I told you, I don't drink."

"A single glass," Odessa insisted, nudging a glass of... something towards Maria.

It was alcoholic, that much was certain. The glass was tall, thin, and fragile-looking, and managed to suggest that its contents were either illegal or illegally priced. It had demonstrated a syrupy quality while being poured, and was presently waxing through the colours of the red-yellow spectrum as the overhead lights shone through it. Liquids that looked like that belonged inside machinery, Maria had always felt.

"I'll have a cup of coffee," she insisted.

"The gods of favour and fortune frown upon the use of coffee in celebration."

"...How you said that with a straight face, I'll never know."

"There's hardly any sense in taking chances, I say," was Odessa pragmatic opinion on the matter. "That we've gotten this far is nothing short of miraculous."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Maria agreed dryly.

"Oh, don't be that way," the Tetrageniot chided. "This undertaking was to involve nothing more than an exchange of information and material. Instead, we found ourselves embroiled in the midst of several potential disasters, to say nothing of the danger you yourself faced while retrieving Nel. Yet despite these complications, we've not only received permission to pursue our original task, we're in a direct position to influence and blunt any negative repercussions of recent events."

"Well... I'll agree to that," Maria allowed. "Things certainly could have ended up for the worse. And I'm glad that we're going to be able to offer them some help with handling this."

"Therefore," Odessa concluded, nudging the glass closer, "a proper toast is clearly in order."

Surrender. "Fine. One glass."

"Besides, I sampled your coffee, did I not?"

Maria rolled her eyes, easily holding the delicate glass between her finger and thumb. "Are you _still_ bitter about that?"

"Nowhere near as bitter as your coffee, I _assure_ you."

"My coffee stands on its own merits."

"And the spoon stands up in your coffee. Regardless, this wine speaks well for itself. I won't bore you with the tawdry details, but suffice to say that it's an exceptional vintage, more than worthy of helping us toast this auspicious occasion."

"A toast then," Maria agreed, raising her glass obligingly. "To the successful beginning of a mutually beneficial relationship with Elicoor II."

Odessa did likewise. "Despite all obstacles. And may it lead to both parties becoming more knowledgeable by the end."

Both drained their glasses in one swallow, Maria discovering that the concoction went down almost too smoothly for words. A texture that bordered on syrupy, with just a hint of sweetness. For an instant, a faint tingling sensation in her throat suggested that the liquor was skipping the digestive process and entered her bloodstream directly, but it passed quickly, leaving no aftertaste to ruin the taste buds' memory.

"...very good," Maria admitted, knowing she'd get a smug look for the admission.

Odessa didn't disappoint, although she substituted any smart comments for deftly refilling Maria's glass, before doing likewise with her own. "Do help yourself. Once the seal is broken, it ceases to improve with age. And it's actually quite a bit weaker than most Genesian vintages, in deference to your Earthling palette."

"Maybe you should look into trading with Elicoor for a new flavours?"

"Oh, I fully intend to. Vintage bottles from underdeveloped civilizations make excellent and unique gifts, you realize?"

"I suppose they would. So... did you have any idea on how you wanted to start learning?"

"I have a few priorities... although I'm prepared to be as flexible as necessary. I'd like you to start putting that sensor grid to use as we planned, but aside from that, I suspect your presence will only be occasionally needed. If things go swimmingly, hardly at all. If you were thinking of taking Lady Elena up on her suggestion, by all means."

"It's an interesting idea," Maria admitted, taking a sip from her glass. "And I might actually be able to learn a few things about my abilities. And you think that anything she learned in the process would be acceptable?"

"As long as you limited it to practical applications, and didn't delve into the topics of _how_ you came into those abilities, I think everything will be fine." Odessa frowned, the topic seeming to spur a related thought. "An interesting woman... her reactions seemed rather at odds with the other Elicoorians."

"You noticed that too? But she doesn't follow their religion, remember? Telling an atheist that the gods are false isn't exactly ground-breaking."

"True... but having an atheist in a position of authority certainly reinforces my view that they are not, in fact, a theocracy... perhaps you can talk with her about that at some point. I'll certainly be learning everything I can about their religion. If nothing else, it seems to play a significant role in their society, and it will let me begin to address this prophecy business sooner as well. A win-win approach, I should think."

The mention of the Prophecy brought a scowl to Maria's face, even as she drained her glass a second time. "_I'd_ like to know a few things about that too."

"No doubt. If I might ask, any further thoughts about it?" A raised eyebrow. "Perhaps ones that weren't for our friends' ears?"

"One," she admitted. "The part where it refers to me as being from an 'unknown lineage'?"

"The Queen thought that was a reference to your offworlder status... you think otherwise?"

"I was talking with Dr. Esteed just recently," Maria elaborated. "Apparently, Dr. Leingod, the head of the project that gave me my powers, had suspected I had some Expellian history in my genes. On an 'instinctive level', the doctor described it, even though there was no instrument-recorded proof. But Dr. Esteed suggested that some traces of Expellian genetics might have been the reason I kept my powers, while Fayt and Sophia lost theirs. It was just a hypothesis from the doctor, but..."

Odessa took the summarization at face value, absent-mindedly refilling both their glasses. "Indeed... this prophecy could very easily be taken as support of that idea. Is it crucial?"

"...no. Not really. Even if I did have a faint trace of some Expellian genes in me, I don't see it making much difference. I don't know who my birth parents are, so it's still impossible to verify such a thing... it just makes me wonder why the prophecy would mention it, that's all."

"A valid concern," Odessa admitted. "Do you think there's cause for worry here?"

"No..." Maria admitted, taking another drink. This wine really _was_ rather good, she idly reflected. Not as good as her coffee, of course, but... "I just don't like the idea of someone thinking they can just 'test' me. It's... presumptuous. I've trained under different experts to get better, and when they tested me, it was because I had given them permission and trust. Even when the Admiral was testing me to see if I would consider working with the Federation, he wasn't presuming any authority over me. But whoever wrote this prophecy... it sounds different, and I don't _like_ it."

Odessa gave an accepting nod. "That's a valid concern. To say nothing of the additional implications of someone doing likewise to Nel, a citizen of an underdeveloped planet."

"But we don't know anything for sure," the Earthling stressed, emptying her glass. "Until something makes itself known, we're _not_ chasing after ghosts."

"Of course not." Glass refill.

"And if something does make itself known..." Maria added, her voice taking on a rather unhappy edge.

"Then...?"

"I'm here for trouble-shooting," Maria reminded matter-of-factly. "I'm gonna DEAL with it."

Odessa frowned. "Er... naturally. Not that we're intending on starting conflicts with unknown individuals, of course."

This time, the entire glass went down in one gulp, hitting the table like it had gained ten pounds. "Of course not! I'm a _diplomat_, you know. I want to avoid fighting. But if they won't listen to reason, then I'm not going to let someone just mess with me or Elicoor!"

The Tetrageniot's look of concern waxed into one of suspicion. "Maria, are you feeling quite alright? The bottle seems rather emptier than I realized, and I'm only on my second glass..."

Maria waved the concerns aside, a little clumsily. "This mission is going to go _PERFECT_!" she declared vehemently, possibly for the benefit of anyone outside the spacecraft. "We're going to learn things, and Elicoor's going to learn things, and we're ALL gonna be happy for it. No one's using anyone, and if some stupid... _prophecy-writer_ thinks they can ruin it all... they're gonna deal with ME, got it?"

"Er, yes, of course," Odessa agreed with a wince. "I'm quite delighted that you feel so strongly about this, Maria, but _I'm_ being to feel very strongly that you've had a few glasses too many-"

"And if we're lucky," Maria continued disgustedly, "maybe the queen will get Nel to drop that damn martyr complex she has! What kind of person goes missing for months, rather than talk to a single other person about their problem? And the whole time she was with us, she never ONCE mentioned that whole gods thing! We go out of our way to protect them, I even let her come along with us, and THAT'S the thanks I get from her? I have a mind to take a piece out of her myself!"

"I can understand your frustration," the Tetrageniot allowed gingerly, "but really, she was under considerable duress and distraction at the time, so surely that can be considered water under-"

Like a puppets with its strings suddenly released, and slightly less fanfare, Maria slumped forwards onto the table.

"-the bridge. Maria?"

No response.

"Maria?"

ZZzzzz...

A sigh, but laced with some amusement. "Perhaps we should get to work tomorrow," the older woman decided for the benefit of all the room's occupants.

ZZzzzz...

"I'm delighted you approve. Computer, transport Miss Traydor to her room, and monitor her to ensure that there are no ill effects from her intoxication. Set an alarm to wake her in twelve hours. After today, she's certainly earned the rest, I think."

Obligingly, Maria's prone form disappeared from the chair in the quiet hum of the transporter effect, leaving the room empty, save one.

"_In vino veritas_, hmm?" the Tetrageniot mused, delicately sipping from her own glass. "Not as stoic about this business as you claim, are you?"

Pouring what little remained in the bottle, Odessa set it aside and drained her glass. "Well, each day as it comes. In the end, that's the best any of us mortals can hope to do."

**+-+-+-+-+**

Shifting slightly, Nel let her aching body settle deeper in the bed. How long had it been since she'd been able to look forward to a full night's sleep? Even after the war - on Elicoor and beyond - there had always been _something_ to push her onwards. A few hours of nightly sleep were an acceptable sacrifice, if it meant finding a solution that much faster. And after she had fled her post, the need to stay ahead of anyone who might try to track her down had only exaggerated the situation that much further.

And now?

She'd completely failed to solve her dilemma, and had succeeded only in passing the burden onto other people. She'd been thoroughly reprimanded by her Queen, who had even suggested that her determination to give her all was somehow WRONG...

And now?

In response to her movement, the bed's second occupant also shifted slightly, her body tightly nestled within the curve of Nel's own. The sheer sleepwear both wore was opaque, but only just. Certainly all but insubstantial as far as the sense of touch was concerned. Even now, Nel could easily feel the rhythmic intake and exhalation of her friend's breathing, and even make out her heartbeat. Despite the springtime night air and thin blanket, the body heat being exchanged between them was almost hot enough to make her perspire.

But that was how Clair liked it.

And at this moment, Nel wouldn't have had it any other way. Perhaps her entire world was nothing but an afterthought in the greater scheme of things. Perhaps she'd failed beyond redemption in the eyes of her Queen. Perhaps all her gods were frauds. Perhaps her very existence was nothing but a figment of her own imagination. But this much, she could still do.

Before she had been instilled with her rank, before she had formally taken up arms in defence of her kingdom, before she had begun her warrior's training, even before she had first begun to explore beyond the confines of her home-village... from the time their fathers had introduced them, there had always been Clair. Almost from the very day Nel had come into the world, they had played together, explored together, learned together, trained together, celebrated together, fought together...

...fought _with_ each other. It was no exaggeration to say that the two of them had become infamous long before taking up active military service, and Lasselle's threats to have them shipped to the Sanmite Desert had probably been quite sincere. But underneath all, even amidst the worst of the quarrels and fights, there had always been the love they shared.

Nel had read stories of people who loved each other so much that they would die for one another, as though such willingness was to represent the pinnacle of love. She wondered if those people realized how much further they could go. She wondered if those people had ever tried _living_ for the sake of one another, swearing vows to always return home alive. She wondered if those people had ever tried keeping a vow like that while fighting on the frontlines of a war, or while facing down the self-proclaimed creator of the universe...

No matter what else she'd failed at, she'd managed _that_ much at least.

"Nel?"

Nel's brows furrowed as her train of thought was interrupted. "I thought you were asleep."

"Do you think the Queen was right?" Clair whispered quietly.

"Hmm?"

"It was you under scrutiny today, but our leadership styles are very much alike. Is the Queen right when she says we must demand sacrifices of others? Larger sacrifices than we have?"

Nel was silent for a moment, uncertain if she liked the question, or the possible answers. Tomorrow, she would freely let her thoughts follow whatever path was needed for her to begin understanding her errors. But tonight, she wanted to think about something she understood, that she _hadn't_ failed in. "What does that say about us?"

"I have asked a sacrifice of you, and you have made it."

They had been barely eighteen years old when the dynamics of their relationship had dramatically changed. That they cared for each other dearly had never been up for question (discounting some of their more impassioned arguments), but it had still been a jarring shock to discover that one of them had begun to develop an entirely new set of feelings towards the other...

...or, to put the matter less delicately, it had involved Clair _completely_ failing to exercise due discretion while vigorously fantasizing about someone possessed of phenomenally sharp hearing and quiet movement. It had also involved Nel attempting to surprise Clair on the evening before her birthday. And needless to say, each of their respective efforts had _severely_ interrupted the other's.

It had taken some time for the dust to settle, the tears to clear, and both to collect their scattered wits over the situation. It had been a bizarre experience for Nel, feeling anguish at being heterosexual, but the situation had certainly been equal to the task. But despite her shock, the first words out of her mouth had been to tell her friend that if _that_ was what she wanted, she wouldn't have to ask twice.

In the end, between Clair's adamant refusal to ask any such thing, and Nel's equally adamant refusal to do nothing, they had arrived at a compromise of sorts. From time to time, when Clair would feel moments of weakness... a little contact and some shared body heat over the course of the night. And if there had been one or two instances where Nel had feigned sleep while her dearest friend semi-consciously indulged herself... well, she had never actually withdrawn the offer.

It was a strange situation by any measure, each of them waiting for the other to weaken in resolve, providing the opportunity to either offer more help, or accept less. But along with it, there also came a certain feeling of contentment, a further strengthening of the bond that had developed between them. And if it wasn't perfect for either of them, it was still enough for both...

"You could have asked for more," Nel pointed out, shifting slightly.

"And you would not have hesitated for a moment," Clair agreed, her voice devoid of any doubt over the matter. "But this is enough. Perhaps that middle path is what we must strive for - being willing to demand sacrifices of others, but taking care to never demand too much."

"What about you?" Nel suggested. "Even I can tell that you've been tired lately."

Clair was silent for a moment. "It's _you_ that's been making me tired as of late," she finally retorted quietly, though her voice lacked any edge. "I expect to sleep quite soundly tonight and in the nights to come... unlike the past few months."

"I'm sorry."

By way of reply, Clair burrowed deeper into Nel's form. "Not that this is a new occurrence," she observed dryly. "Should I be grateful you waited until peacetime to spring this on us?"

Nel managed a ghost of a smile, even though she knew her friend couldn't see it. "You've cost _me_ plenty of sleep too, I'll thank you to remember."

"_You_ lose sleep because you find out about my problems. _I_ lose sleep because I don't know what your problems are. I think that leaves you with the better part of that bargain."

"I think you know all my problems out now," Nel offered lamely.

"And when another problem appears?" Clair inquired. Her voice was soft again, although the question was clearly a loaded one. "Will you face that problem alone?"

Nor did Nel miss the undertones present in the question. Looking back, she wondered how she had justified everything she had done thus far. She had hoped a solution was to be found, sparing anyone else from having to deal with the issue, but that had been a lost cause. In the end, she had done nothing but cause frustration and disappointment in those around her, and delay the inevitable.

And now, her oldest and dearest friend - one that she valued more than life itself - asked what would happen the next time she faced a seemingly insurmountable obstacle? "No," she whispered. "Not alone."

"I shall hold you to that," Clair murmured softly, clasping Nel's hand and holding it to her chest. "Never alone."

And this time, Nel knew she meant it.

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Author's Notes:

Agony is sitting down at the keyboard for hours and writing down one sentence. Hell is erasing that sentence the next day. Stupidity is when you KEEP DOING IT. At any rate, this chapter is done, and it's as long winded as the rest. Once again, I apologize, but I honestly couldn't' work out a way of spacing the information and revelations out better. On the bright side, I've managed to trim out a couple thousand words from the earlier chapters, and they're better for it. On a side note, Fayt and Sophia will NOT be making a reappearance in this story. I was using them strictly as a sounding board to flesh out Maria (probably excessively so), but now that Nel's in the picture, she can do a lot of that herself.

Originally, I had simply envisioned Nel and Maria as a couple of buddies, who would get closer as the story went on. But the longer I study them (at least within the context of this story), the more potential for friction I'm seeing. Seeing as the finer details of this story's plot are still rather... _fluid_, I hope this doesn't backfire on me...

Finally, the Nel/Clair approach I've taken? Perhaps a little weird, I admit. Making it mutual would have accomplished nothing that a simple 'deep friendship' couldn't manage just as well, which wouldn't justify the trouble of introducing it. But making it one-sided? I originally jotted it down when brainstorming, more for completeness than anything, but a surprising number of other plot points seemed to mix extremely well with this particular set-up. More trouble to write, but at this point, I'm fairly optimistic about the end result. If it deteriorates into bad cheese, I apologize in advance. For now, the die is cast.

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End Part 2-C

Completed: 09/17/07


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